‘Donald Trump’s Aadhaar’ triggers political storm: NCP MLA Rohit Pawar booked after live demo of bogus card; BJP seeks probe

MUMBAI: A case was registered with the south zone cyber police station against NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar by the BJP on Wednesday, after he publicly demonstrated at a press conference how he made a fake Aadhaar card for former US President Donald Trump using fake documents.The complaint, filed by BJP’s social media coordinator Dhananjay Wagaskar, alleged that Pawar’s act endangered social security and incited anger against an autonomous institution. Based on the complaint, a case was registered against Pawar and the website creator, user, owner, and other related parties for forgery, identity theft, and circulating false information under sections 336(2), 336(3), 336(4), 337, 353(1)(B), 353(1)(C), and 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Section 66(C) of the Information Technology Act.According to officials, Mumbai Police have also registered an FIR against unidentified persons after Pawar showed how fake Aadhaar cards could be created on a website and used to register bogus voters. BJP’s Wagaskar said he came across the demonstration on a YouTube channel where allegations were also made against a BJP office-bearer, prompting him to approach the police.The FIR stated that the act of creating fake Aadhaar cards through a bogus website attempted to mislead the public and create discord between groups in society. The complaint claimed that Pawar’s demonstration was a fraudulent act that endangered public trust and aimed to create enmity between communities.During the October 16 press conference, Pawar had alleged that after unfavourable results for the BJP-led Mahayuti in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, bogus voter registrations, deletion of genuine voters, and duplication of entries had taken place. He claimed that “unfavourable” voters were shown as dead and that bogus voting occurred in their names.Between the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 32 lakh voters were added, Pawar said, averaging 6.5 lakh new voters per year. However, between the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the Maharashtra assembly polls, 48 lakh new voters were added in just six months, he claimed.In his Karjat Jamkhed constituency, Pawar alleged that 14,292 voters were added, 5,360 names deleted, and 14,162 duplicates inserted in voter rolls after the Lok Sabha elections. He further stated that Aadhaar cards of voters from one constituency were being used to register voters in another constituency, with names and photos changed.Police said investigations are underway to identify those behind the fake website and verify all related claims.