UP CEO Apologises Over Bizarre ‘Thank God Ram Didn't Kill Any Minority’ Post, Vows Formal Communication

Uttar Pradesh: The Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer's office apologised on Tuesday after a social media message about mistakes in the voter list caused a lot of backlash because of how it was written and the way it sounded.  A post that mentioned caste and religion while addressing wrongly recorded voter names faced criticism from political leaders, including AAP MP Sanjay Singh.  

In a clarification posted on X, the official account said that their reply went beyond what is expected from an official government page.  It also made sure that future messages would stay formal and show respect.  

"The tone and tenor and the acerbic nature of the comments in the quoted post of this handle is not in line with the nature of communication expected from this official handle," the UP CEO's handle said.  

"The genuine outrage generated by the comments in the post has been well noted. We offer our sincere apologies to the persons shocked and offended by it. Our communication henceforth will be decorous and formal," it added.

How Did A Voter List Error Trigger A Political Row?

The controversy arose after irregular entries were made in voter lists prepared for the recent Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections.  One entry, first reported as the name 'Ramhit Yadav', was supposedly recorded as 'Ram ne Yadav ko Maara' (Ram killed Yadav). 

The error made AAP MP Sanjay Singh ask Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar a question, wondering why the name seemed to focus on a specific caste.  He also wondered if the Election Commission's computer systems were unfair and said the poll officials might be working for a political purpose. 

In a post on X in Hindi, Singh asked, "Gyanesh Kumar, why did Ram hit only a Yadav? Why did Ram not hit any Singh, Pathak, Asthana, Sharma, Rai or Bisht? Is your computer casteist? Are you running the agenda of any political party?"

The Congress also blamed the election commission for the mistakes, while the AAP said there was a biased focus on caste.  The dispute happened during protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter lists. 

Why Did The ‘Minority’ Remark Trigger More Outrage?

Responding to the allegations on Monday, the UP CEO's office, headed by Navdeep Rinwa, cited another incorrect entry involving a voter named Ravi Sharma. His father's name had allegedly been recorded as 'Ram ne Sharma ko Maara'.

Using the example, the poll body argued that the errors were not evidence of deliberate caste-based discrimination. However, its sarcastic response, which brought religion into the discussion, led to a fresh wave of criticism.

"In the voter list for the recent Legislative Council elections, there is also a bizarre name: 'Ram ne Sharma ko mara.' Computers/software are not casteist," the UP CEO had said on X on Monday.

"It is acceptable that we made a mistake, but fortunately, even during the mistake, there was no discrimination based on caste. We must also thank God that Ram did not kill any minority. Otherwise, in addition to being casteist, there would also be an accusation of being communal," it added.

The remark about minorities became the central point of the controversy, with critics questioning why an official election authority had responded to allegations of electoral roll errors with such language.

On Monday, Singh held a press conference in Lucknow and accused the UP CEO of behaving like an "agent of the BJP". He also highlighted another questionable entry, claiming that the name 'Mohammad Iqbal Beg' had been recorded as 'Mohammad Iqbal bheekh maangte hain'. The AAP Rajya Sabha MP demanded strict action against Rinwa over the objectionable remarks.

With the criticism intensifying, the UP CEO's office issued its apology on Tuesday, acknowledging that the wording of its earlier response was inappropriate for an official handle. While the apology addressed the language and tone of the post, the episode has brought renewed attention to errors in electoral rolls and the controversy surrounding the poll body's response to them.