New Delhi: Five Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been suspended after 3,400 Special Intensive Revision (SIR) enumeration forms were discovered at a private photocopy shop in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, triggering confrontation between Shiv Sena (UBT) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists.The electoral forms, containing voter details, belonged to the Panvel assembly constituency and were found at a photocopy centre in Sector 19 after authorities received complaints of SIR applications being reproduced there. Officials told The Hindu that the forms related to 11 polling stations, with a majority of them coming from five stations.The incident came to light when a local Shiv Sena (UBT) leader caught Suraj Patil, a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) office-bearer, with 3,404 SIR forms, after a video of the controversy went viral on Thursday (August 27). Patil was taken into custody for questioning and the administration initiated an inquiry into how voter-filled SIR forms had reached a private photocopy store.Raigad district collector said a first information report (FIR) had been registered against Patil under the Representation of the People Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The seized forms from the 188 Panvel assembly constituency were authentic in nature and contained private information such as voters’ photographs, personal details and official BLO signatures, reported The Hindu.“Our officers verified the documents and found that they were indeed original and were the responsibility of the BLOs. Hence, we suspended five BLOs from that area,” the Raigad collector said.Also read: A Lifetime of Protecting the Nation Outweighed by the Demand to Prove My Identity in the SIRThe incident has spurred a political dispute between the BJP and the Shiv Sena (UBT). Alleging a connection with BJP youth wind functionaries, Shiv Sena (UBT) office-bearer Balesh Bhojane questioned how forms filled by ordinary voters had reached private individuals. Shiv Sena workers also alleged that the accused managed to leave the Kharghar police station after being brought in for questioning, as per The Hindu report.The BJP, however, denied involvement. Panvel Municipal Corporation mayor and BJP leader Nitin Patil, responding to the claims, said BJP workers had no connection with the matter.Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) (NCP(SP)) MLA Rohit Pawar argued that the mere suspension of the five BLOs was insufficient and that the incident exposed problems embedded in the implementation of the controversial SIR process.“Citizens caught BJP workers red-handed with SIR campaign forms in Kharghar, exposing the so-called transparent SIR campaign of the Election Commission. This has made it clear how the SIR campaign is deceptive and merely nominal. Through this campaign, how the BJP is trying to lay the foundation for its next victory–we have repeatedly pointed this out, and today’s incident has, in a way, confirmed it,” he wrote on X.Also read: How EC Has Quietly Changed Form 6 During SIR, Evading ParliamentIn a later post, Pawar took a hit at the BJP’s handling of the electoral process and said “there would be no harm in changing the name of this campaign from SIR to Special BJP Voter Confirmation (SBVC).” He also called for action against those who had instructed the suspended BLOs, as well as against BJP workers if their involvement was established.“But just suspending the BLOs won’t cut it; who are the officials who gave them orders? They too should be suspended, and action should also be taken against the BJP worker. Importantly, this incident came to light because of vigilant citizens, so this action might have been taken out of embarrassment, but what about the many such incidents that haven’t been exposed?” he said.The episode has raised concerns over the handling and circulation of sensitive SIR forms. Even though political allegations have not yet been verified, the suspension of five BLOs, the registration of an FIR and the authenticity of the forms have added to scrutiny of the SIR exercise in Maharashtra.