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Sambhal RO is the EC’s son-in-law, proving “familial conflicts of interest?

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Checked 14 Oct 2026 · Updated 15 Oct 2026

The Reel accurately reports documented events. Independent reporting confirms that the returning officer whose report the Election Commission relied on to dismiss voter suppression complaints in Sambhal is the son-in-law of Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. It is also established that former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa was selected as a potential target for Pegasus spyware shortly after dissenting against clean chits given to PM Modi in 2019.

Main source: Scroll

Some of it's right, some isn't. Reel by @scroll_in

The Reel says

Sambhal RO is the EC’s son-in-law, proving “familial conflicts of interest
The Reel we checked▶

The Reel we checked

@scroll_in

During 2024 Lok Sabha polls, ECI did not act on several complaints of voter suppression in #Sambhal, based on reports by the returning officer. It was later…

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🚩 What's concerning

Lapse

The Election Commission failed to act on complaints of voter suppression in Sambhal and labelled video footage showing police assault as false and misleading.

"But the Election Commission did not act on these complaints. Instead, it came out in support of a statement by the returning officer and labelled the damning footage as “false” and “misleading”." Scroll, 2026-09-29

Election Commission of India response: "The next morning, the Election Commission, relying on Bansal's statement, tweeted that claims of voter suppression in Ovari were “false” and “misleading”. “No voter was denied their right to cast vote,” it added." Scroll

Unanswered

It remains unstated whether Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar disclosed his relationship to the returning officer or recused himself from deliberating on the Sambhal allegations.

"Did Bansal’s father-in-law Kumar recuse himself from the process of deliberating upon Sambhal? Or at least, did Kumar even disclose that the returning officer was his relative?" Scroll, 2026-09-29

What we checked

✓
The Returning Officer for Sambhal during the 2024 Lok Sabha election was Manish Bansal, the son-in-law of Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.Scroll
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During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission of India did not act on complaints of voter suppression in Sambhal based on reports from the returning officer.Scroll
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On the day of polling in Sambhal during the 2024 elections, videos on social media showed police lathi-charging voters and driving them away from polling booths.Scroll
?
Former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa dissented against the ECI's decision on PM Modi's 2019 speech and was later placed under surveillance using Pegasus software.Said in the full video; no news source checks it as fact.

What each side says

Election Commission of IndiaThe Election Commission stated that claims of voter suppression in Sambhal were false and misleading. Scroll
Ashok LavasaLavasa argued for imposing sanctions on the prime minister for violating the model code of conduct during the 2019 campaign. The Guardian

Short version

🔀 DOESN'T FOLLOW 👉 The Reel accurately reports documented events. 👉 Independent reporting confirms that the returning officer whose report the Election Commission relied on to dismiss voter suppression complaints in Sambhal is the son-in-law of Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. 👉 It is also established that former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa was selected as a potential target for Pegasus spyware shortly after dissenting against clean chits given to PM Modi in 2019. 🔎 Full check: send this Reel to @checkthis.chat

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