State takes tough stand on fake caste certificates, 2 officers under lens

Kolkata: The state government is going to take a tough stand as far as the fake caste certificate issue is concerned.

According to sources, the Backward Class department has already taken a departmental probe regarding the fake caste certificate case.

A departmental proceeding was learnt to have started against two officers.

They have also been served a show-cause notice by the Backward Class department, sources said. It was suspected that these two officers could have been involved in creating fake caste certificates. The department has also directed many sub-divisional officers from the districts to verify data.

It was alleged that fake caste certificates were issued by a racket to ensure jobs in various departments. Sometimes the fake certificates were used for securing a job in the police and sometimes to get a university degree or sometimes to get a medical admission. It was alleged that two officers each from Barrackpore in North 24-Parganas and Kharagpur in West Midnapore might have been directly involved in the racket. Stern action may be taken against them if proven guilty. Meanwhile, the West Bengal Police had recently sought recruitment details from the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) regarding three individuals accused of securing jobs using forged caste certificates, sources said.

According to sources, the police recently sent a letter to WBSSC requesting recruitment records of the accused persons. However, the commission found the details insufficient and has asked for further clarification.

In response, WBSSC has formally requested specific information, including the year of recruitment, the selection process, and whether the individuals were appointed as teachers or non-teaching staff. Officials from the state School Education Department stated that further action would be taken once the necessary details are provided.