UP Election Body Apologises for Bizarre ‘Thank God Ram Didn’t Kill Any Minority’ Post, Deletes It

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer’s office apologised on Tuesday, October 27, after a social media post about mistakes in voter lists triggered a controversy over caste and religion. The post included the remark, “Thank God, Ram did not kill a member of a minority community.” The office said the tone and language of the post were not suitable for an official account. It also apologised to people who were hurt or angered by the comments.

The controversy began after an error was found in the voter list prepared for the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections. The name “Ramhit Yadav” was incorrectly written as “Ram ne Yadav ko Maara”, which means “Ram hit Yadav” in Hindi. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh reportedly raised questions about the mistake and asked whether the error showed caste bias.

How Did the Voter List Error Happen?

According to Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa, the mistake was linked to software used to prepare voter lists. The software was designed to write English names in Hindi, but in some cases, it translated the words instead of writing the names correctly. As a result, a person’s name was changed into a sentence with a very different meaning. The election office also said that some errors could have been corrected during the checking process.

Another similar mistake was found in the voter list, where the name of a voter’s father, Ravi Sharma, was incorrectly recorded as “Ram ne Sharma ko Maara”. The election office used this example while responding to the allegations of caste discrimination. However, its sarcastic remarks about caste and minority communities led to further criticism instead of ending the controversy.

AAP MP Questions Election Officials

Sanjay Singh questioned Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the incorrect entries. He reportedly asked why the name of a Yadav voter had been changed in such a way and whether the software was treating different castes differently. Singh also raised concerns about other unusual entries in the voter list and demanded action over the matter. His remarks added to the growing political debate over the preparation of electoral records in Uttar Pradesh.

Following the criticism, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer’s office issued an apology on Tuesday. It said the tone, language and sharpness of the earlier comments did not meet the standards expected from an official account. The office acknowledged the public anger and apologised to those who felt hurt by the remarks. It also promised to use more respectful and formal language in future communications.

The voter list errors have raised questions about the use of software and the checking process followed by election officials. The election office has said that mistakes occurred during the preparation of the records, while the controversy has also highlighted the need for careful verification of voter details. The incident has renewed calls for accurate voter lists and responsible communication from public officials.