ISKCON Devotees in Bengal's Mayapur Found with Spiritual Gurus Listed as Parents in 2002 Voter Records

Significant irregularities have emerged from the 2002 voter list in Mayapur, West Bengal, where numerous ISKCON devotees exercised their voting rights at the Sri Sri Thakur Bhaktivinod Lower Primary School within the Nabadwip Assembly constituency. The most notable anomaly was the substitution of parents' names with those of spiritual gurus in the official records.

Sub-Divisional Officer Sharadwati Chowdhury emphasized the requirement that a parent's name must be officially documented on the voter list.

Chowdhury stated, "Adding entries using a spiritual master's name isn't permitted. Information must be consistent with previous identity documents. Either the father's or mother's name must be included. Only the block election roll officer can verify if these discrepancies were rectified in the current voter list."

Conversely, Nabadwip Block Development Officer Manish Gupta suggested that for monks associated with various monasteries and temples, identity documents might be created using spiritual gurus' names. He explained that many individuals who embrace monastic vows and renounce worldly attachments choose to list their spiritual guru as their guardian.

"In such instances, their identity documents display their spiritual father's name. Sometimes, after these documents are issued, they subsequently request new identity documents using their previous names or their biological parents' names. Complications frequently arise when they attempt to revert to their previous identity after the first document has been issued," Gupta explained.

He further noted that without examining their current identity documentation, determining their present status remains impossible.

Historically, there have been instances where individuals who took monastic vows had identity documents created with their spiritual guru's name, followed by the creation of new documents featuring their original name or their father's name.