B'luru: Raid on call centre unearths caste data of voters

A raid on a call centre in Mallattahalli has unearthed a major violation as officials had found a trove of data, including caste-wise classification of voters.

Officials said a complaint was received on cVIGIL app that voters in Melkote were being contacted with caste-specific inputs. Officials on election duty conducted a raid with the assistance of police and found that the company had a database of caste-wise classification of voters.

Officials questioned the authorities on how they obtained the data and who gave them the work order to call up voters in Melkote.

To a question, senior officer Rajendra Prasad confirmed the development. “We asked them whether they had any permission to have the data and conduct the operations. Since we couldn't get a satisfactory answer, a complaint has been filed with the police,” he said.

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Regarding the source of the data, the officer said only the police investigation will be able to unearth how the company obtained private data, including caste details and phone number. Sources said a non-cognisable case has been registered.

Though the government conducted a caste census in 2015, the data has not been made public, much less the names and phone numbers of the individuals, which amounts to the invasion of privacy.

Fraudulent methods employed to collect data of voters had led to an investigation by the Regional Commissioner, Bengaluru. The Chief Electoral Officer made public an investigation report on Chilume Trust, which was found to have stored voter data in foreign servers.