A major irregularity has surfaced in the birth registration system of Maharashtra, raising serious concerns about the misuse of official digital records. The case has emerged from Shendursani Gram Panchayat, a small rural village in Arni taluka of Yavatmal district, where the officially recorded figures are shockingly out of proportion to the village’s actual population.

According to records accessed from the Civil Registration System (CRS), 27,397 births were registered in Shendursani within just three months, between September and November, even though the village has an estimated population of only 1,500 residents. Such an unusually high number immediately raised red flags among district authorities and health officials.

The issue first came to official notice on 24 November, following which a detailed complaint was submitted by the District Health Officer (DHO). Based on this complaint, an FIR was registered on Tuesday, 16 December, at the Yavatmal city police station. The police booked the case under Sections 318(4), 337, 336(3), and 304(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 65 and 66 of the Information Technology Act, indicating the seriousness of the alleged offence and the possible role of digital manipulation.

Confirming the investigation, Police Inspector Nandkishor Kale stated, “A complaint regarding irregularities in birth registration entries of Shendursani has been received, and a probe has been launched,” signalling that law enforcement agencies are now actively examining how such large-scale entries were made.

The issue gained further political attention when former BJP Member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya visited the village on Wednesday, 17 December. During his interaction with the media, Somaiya said there was a strong possibility that the login credentials of the gram panchayat’s computer operator were misused, allowing unauthorised entries into the CRS database.

Taking the matter to social media, Somaiya posted on X that there are serious suspicions that thousands of Bangladeshi nationals may have benefited from these birth registrations. He formally demanded the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to ensure a thorough and transparent probe.

Somaiya further claimed that an initial review of the records showed that most of the names listed belonged to individuals from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and nearby regions, rather than local residents of Shendursani. Emphasising the need for immediate corrective action, he said, “I have spoken to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and demanded that all these birth registration entries be cancelled,” underlining the potential national security and administrative implications of the case.

Another disturbing detail that emerged during the investigation was related to the technical mapping of the gram panchayat’s CRS account. The CRS ID (MH18241RE) assigned to Shendursani Gram Panchayat was found to be mapped in Mumbai, instead of Yavatmal district. Officials believe this mismatch strongly points to a case of cyber fraud involving remote access to government systems.

In response to the growing concerns, the state government ordered a verification drive on 16 December. The objective was to identify, verify, and cancel illegal, delayed, or suspicious birth and death registrations in the gram panchayat. During this exercise, officials from the Arni health department discovered that 27,397 birth entries and seven death entries had been recorded in the CRS software during the three-month period from September to November 2025. The figures were clearly inconsistent with the village’s demographic reality.

Following this discovery, the District Health Officer formally informed Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Mandar Patki about the irregularities. Acting swiftly, the CEO constituted an inquiry committee headed by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Panchayat department. The committee conducted an on-site inspection in Shendursani village to verify the records.

The committee’s findings confirmed that all 27,397 birth records and the seven death records did not fall within the jurisdiction of Shendursani Gram Panchayat. Officials described these entries as highly suspicious, strengthening the case for deliberate misuse of the registration system.

Subsequently, a technical investigation was initiated by the Deputy Director of Health Services, Pune, to trace the digital trail of the entries. Using the state’s login monitoring system, the investigation revealed that the Shendursani CRS ID had been digitally mapped to Mumbai. This crucial technical evidence led authorities to escalate the matter further.

The case was then referred to the Office of the Additional Registrar General of India in New Delhi, along with the National Informatics Centre (NIC). After examining the data and access patterns, both agencies concluded that the incident was a case of cyber fraud. Their assessment was officially communicated to the Deputy Director of Health Services, Pune, on 11 December, who later informed the Zilla Parishad, setting the stage for further legal and administrative action.

The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities focusing on identifying those responsible for the manipulation of records and determining how such a large-scale breach of the civil registration system was carried out without immediate detection.