Dehradun, Aug. 22 -- Tensions grew after the Congress alleged irregularities in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttarakhand and raised the issue with senior officials of the state election commission, officials said on Friday. The development came a day after a delegation of senior Congress leaders staged a protest outside the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Delhi on Thursday against alleged irregularities in the SIR process in the state and submitted a memorandum to the poll body over the matter. The ECI subsequently asked the Uttarakhand poll body to look into the allegations. The office of the CEO, Uttarakhand, subsequently invited the Congress delegation for a discussion on the issue. Former MLA Manoj Rawat, who was part of the Congress delegation that met chief electoral officer Dr BVRC Purushottam on Friday, said the party raised several instances of manipulation and attempts to delete names of genuine voters from the electoral rolls. "In several assembly constituencies across the state, attempts are being made to delete the names of genuine voters by filing Form-7 objections in bulk. We have referred to the procedure prescribed under the Manual on Electoral Rolls, March 2023, and demanded an impartial inquiry into these cases," Rawat said. Form 7 is the application for objecting inclusion or seeking deletion of name in electoral roll. He said the Congress has specifically raised the issue of objections filed seeking deletion of names of more than 10% of voters at around 50 polling stations in the Kichha assembly constituency. "We have also pointed out that more than 100 objections were filed by just four persons. We have received information that around 6,410 objections were filed in the name of one person, Rajesh Tiwari," Rawat said. "The matter of an objection being filed against the name of sitting Piran Kaliyar MLA Furkan Ahmad was also raised. The person concerned has denied filing such an objection and has submitted an affidavit to that effect. We have also sought an inquiry into complaints regarding an objection being filed in the name of a deceased woman in Gadarpur and objections being filed in the names of persons lodged in judicial custody," he said. "We have demanded an independent inquiry into the unusual pattern of Form-7 objections in several assembly constituencies in Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital and Haridwar districts," he said. The party also expressed concern over information that the names of around 1,02,793 voters in Udham Singh Nagar may be affected on the basis of Duplicate Similar Entries (DSE) and Photo Similar Entries (PSE). "The Congress has demanded that the final deletion of names in disputed Form-7 and DSE/PSE cases be kept on hold until the inquiry is completed. We have demanded an independent inquiry committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge," Rawat said. He added that the party has sought verification of Form-7 applications, signatures, digital trails, CCTV footage and verification records. "Action should be taken against officials and individuals found responsible. Recognised political parties should also be provided transparent, booth-wise data on Form-7 and DSE/PSE cases. Before deleting the name of any eligible voter, the person concerned must be served a notice and given a full opportunity to present their case," he said. "The Election Commission must ensure an impartial, transparent and time-bound inquiry into the entire matter and protect the rights of voters," Rawat said. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, meanwhile, said SIR was being conducted fairly by the election commission. "Congress seems to believe that SIR is being conducted for the first time since Independence. SIR has always been conducted. The purification of electoral rolls is being carried out fairly and in accordance with the Election Commission's guidelines," Dhami said. "If names are being deleted, suspicious voters are being identified or the names of people are being removed, Congress or anyone else should have no problem with it. If there is a legitimate reason, the EC will address their concerns," he said....