Aadhaar Cards Found in West Bengal Pond During Voter Revision
The Live Info Media
In a shocking incident in Purbasthali, Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal, hundreds of Aadhaar cards were discovered floating in a local pond. The documents, some of which reportedly carried Muslim-sounding names, were found by local laborers cleaning the water body on November 5, 2025. This discovery happened just as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was beginning in the state.
The Discovery and Police Action
The discovery was made in the Lalitpur area under Pila Panchayat, Purbasthali Block 2. Workers initially feared the submerged package might be a body, but upon closer inspection, it revealed bundles of wet Aadhaar cards. Stunned villagers quickly alerted the Purbasthali Police Station. Officers arrived shortly after, seized the drenched documents, and began a formal investigation into how such a large number of identity cards ended up in the pond. They are working to confirm the authenticity of the documents.
Timing Coincides with Voter Roll Cleanup
The incident has caused major political controversy because it happened on the same day as the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This door-to-door verification process aims to clean up the voter lists, primarily by referencing the 2002 electoral roll. The process itself has already been a major political flashpoint, with parties clashing over its intent and potential effect on voters.
Political Controversy and Allegations
The discovery immediately fueled political tensions:
- BJP Allegations: Leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were quick to accuse the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of facilitating illegal immigration by creating fake identification documents. The BJP demanded a full investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), suggesting the cards were dumped to evade the strict identity checks of the SIR process.
- TMC Response: The Trinamool Congress dismissed the claims, attributing the incident to administrative errors or calling the recovered documents themselves “fake Aadhaar cards.” The party maintains that the SIR process is being used by the central government to disenfranchise genuine citizens.
Focus of the Ongoing Investigation
The police are now tasked with unraveling the mystery behind the abandoned cards. They are investigating several possibilities: were the cards genuine documents thrown away by panicked residents fearing the SIR and its scrutiny? Were they fraudulently created IDs being purged to hide a shadowy scheme? Authorities have urged local families whose names appear on the recovered documents to come forward to assist with the verification and possible replacement of their Aadhaar cards.
