The Election Commission (EC) has adopted a strict approach to prevent fraud involving amendments to National Identity Cards (NIDs), warning that those involved will face legal action. The commission says some people have attempted to misuse the correction process to sell property, claim inheritance and alter passport information.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said several officials had already been dismissed, while criminal cases had been filed against others and steps taken to arrest those involved.

“We are not giving anyone any concessions,” he said.

According to EC officials, the commission now verifies supporting documents and evidence before approving changes to NID information. Applicants must provide accurate details and reliable proof.

The CEC said some people had changed their names on NIDs to sell property or establish false inheritance claims. Others had allegedly attempted to change passport information through fraudulent amendments.

Officials suspended over alleged fraud

The EC recently suspended two officials after allegations of NID-related fraud were established, according to commission officials.

They include Mohammad A. Chattar, an upazila election officer in Kathalia, Jhalakathi, and Kamona Rani Sarkar, an office assistant at the Panchagarh Sadar election office.

Irregularities found in applications

EC officials said some applications contained unusual discrepancies, including age differences of only three years between fathers and sons and two to three years between mothers and daughters. Some applicants also had multiple birth registrations or educational certificates.

The CEC said such cases require careful investigation to prevent people from obtaining NIDs using false identities. He also mentioned reports of foreign nationals and Rohingya people allegedly obtaining Bangladeshi NIDs.

Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed cited an example of an applicant who registered as a voter in 2015 at the age of 18, based on a 1997 birth year. The applicant later sought to change the birth year to 2002, which would have made the person only 13 at the time of voter registration.

He said such contradictory information could not be accepted without proper verification.

Documents required for corrections

EC officials said most routine corrections can be completed at the upazila level. However, applications involving simultaneous changes to important information, such as names, parents' identities and dates of birth, are referred to higher authorities.

Relevant documents, including birth registration certificates and educational certificates, are examined. Changes to a father's name may also require verification against the father's NID and the records of other family members.

An affidavit alone is not sufficient to approve such corrections, the officials said.

13.55 lakh correction applications rejected

According to the EC's National Identity Registration Wing, a total of 6,570,842 applications for NID corrections have been submitted so far. Of these, 6,442,832 have been processed, including 1,355,157 rejected applications.

The CEC said many applications were rejected because of missing information or birth certificates, as well as inconsistencies among multiple official documents.

However, Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed clarified that the number of rejected applications does not represent the same number of individual applicants. Some people submit applications four or five times, while a single application may involve several requested corrections, some of which are approved and others rejected.

Applicants whose requests are rejected can apply again with the necessary documents. They can also appeal to higher authorities within the commission.

Services for expatriate Bangladeshis

The EC is also working to make NID services easier and faster for expatriate Bangladeshis. The CEC said voter registration and NID services had already been introduced at several Bangladesh missions abroad.

He said applications supported by accurate documents would be processed quickly. However, discrepancies involving passports, birth registrations and other records often require additional verification.

EC officials said some people change their dates of birth to meet age requirements for overseas employment and later seek further amendments to their parents' names or other personal information.

The commission has urged citizens to provide accurate information during initial registration to avoid complications with future corrections.