A day after district administration Anantnag has busted a gang indulged in issuing fake Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates to non-tribals, the chorus for reverifying all ST certificates issued by the government gained momentum to single out those who managed to get these certificates through fraudulent means.
Founder Secretary Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, Javid Rahi said that fake ST certificate was a big issue as some non-tribals have managed to get these certificates.
"On the direction of the Supreme Court a committee was constituted to verify ST certificates issued to different tribes but recommendations of the panel were not implemented so far", Rahi told International Bussiness Times.
Rahi said that tribals have already asked the J&K administration to reverify the documents of all employees recruited under the ST category. He had also sought action against the fake certificate rackets active in J&K and the constitution of a scrutiny committee to identify people who have managed fake ST certificates.
Non-tribals getting ST benefits through bogus certificates
Taking advantage of the backwardness of these marginalized sections of the society, candidates of some influential families of Kashmir Valley have managed to get fake Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates and got selected in various government departments at the cost of deserving youth of tribal communities.
Many non-Scheduled Tribes have managed the ST certificates through fraudulent ways and means which resulted in a great loss to the existing Scheduled Tribes. Reports said that the issuance of fake certificates to non-STs was going unabated in Kashmir Valley.
"We have repeatedly brought this matter to the notice of higher authorities of the Revenue Department but nothing has been done so far", Mukthiyar Chowdhary another Gujjar leader said, adding, "Candidates of non-ST castes like Mir, Dar, and Pathans have managed to get ST certificates in most parts of Kashmir Valley"
J&K is the only state in northwest India with a considerable number of STs in its population. Of the 14.9 lakh STs in J&K in 2011, there were 13.2 lakh Muslims, 1 lakh Buddhists, and 67,000 Hindus.
Fake ST certificate racket busted in Anantnag
District Administration Anantnag busted a fake ST certificate racket in Anantnag on Saturday.
As per official sources, several individuals and organizations had raised complaints regarding fake ST certificates being issued in Anantnag. Several tribal groups had expressed their anguish on non-tribal people being appointed to jobs based on fake certificates. The complaints pertained mainly to Tehsil Shangus where certificates had been issued to non-tribal people.
How the gang was busted ?
Acting on specific inputs, a decoy operation was launched by the administration. An individual approached the accused for the issuance of an ST certificate. On confirmation of the information, the administration in collaboration with Anantnag police acted swiftly and a special team comprising of senior revenue officials and DSP HQ, Anantnag raided the premises of the accused.
While the accused was nabbed during the operation, several incriminating articles and documents were also recovered from his possession. Some fake social caste certificates have also been recovered. The entire operation was closely monitored by Deputy Commissioner Anantnag himself.
It is in place to mention that ST certificates are mandatory to receive benefits under various welfare schemes like PMAY houses, Scholarships, jobs, etc.
As per the preliminary investigation, the accused was privy to information that the records related to tribal population had been lost during the 2014 floods and had used this lacuna to further his own interest. Further investigation is ongoing.
