The Election Commission on Thursday, November 17, stated that the permission given to a Bengaluru NGO to spread voter awareness was withdrawn immediately after receiving a complaint against it. The Election Commission also stated that a detailed inquiry into the incident is being conducted by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city civic corporation.
The Election Commission's statement comes a day after TNM published a report about a major privacy breach in Bengaluru involving Chilume Trust. The report detailed a covert operation by field workers deployed by Chilume, who impersonated government officials to collect personal information from thousands of voters in the city.
“No permission for survey was granted by the District Election Officer (DEO), BBMP to any NGO. The permission to create awareness to Chilume Trust was withdrawn by deo, BBMP immediately after receiving the complaint against it,” the statement from the Election Commission stated. It also added that a complaint was filed by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of the Mahadevapura constituency regarding the misuse of Booth Level Officer (BLO) ID cards. “If any institution or an individual is found violating any laws, action will be taken accordingly,” it added.
Contrary to the Election Commission's claims of taking swift action in the case, documents seen by TNM confirmed that the complaint against Chilume was submitted to the Election Commission on September 20 while the permission was withdrawn only on November 2, more than a month after a complaint by the Samanvaya Trust was filed.
Read TNM’s detailed report: TNM investigation: Armed with govt order, Bengaluru NGO steals voter data
