DARJEELING: Hundreds of Aadhaar cards were found dumped in a yard at Kankata More, Ashigarh in Siliguri on Tuesday.
Police have started suo moto investigation into the incident.
Kankata More has vacant lands where garbage is usually dumped by rag pickers. On Tuesday, local residents spotted the documents here. Though dumping is a regular affair by rag pickers, closed inspection revealed that there were hundreds of Aadhaar cards strewn all over the field.
"We saw rag pickers dump Aadhaar cards in the field. The cards were all wet and they had dumped those here. I picked up one and dialed the phone number mentioned on the card. A person picked up. I told him everything and asked him to come here," stated Dipu Adhikari, a local resident.
The person he had called arrived and when shown the card, stated that it was his daughter's. "I had applied for her Aadhaar card along with my son's. They have not been delivered. I found both here," claimed the person, who is a resident of Chayanpara, Ashigar Mor.
News soon spread and a huge crowd gathered.
"Along with the Aadhaar cards there were some pass books," stated Subash Gharai, resident of Ashigar Mor. The police arrived and took away the cards.
They are investigating the matter. "We are trying to find out if these cards are genuine or fake. We are also cross checking with the post office which usually delivers Aadhaar cards," stated a police source.
"What is our security when Aadhaar cards are found in fields? This is owing to the lackadaisical attitude of the Post office and the Union government. They are not bothered about the public let alone protect private information," stated Sudhasingha Chattopadhyay, Pradhan of the Dabgram II Gram Panchayat.