Jalpaiguri: Bihar youth arrested for attempting to obtain domicile certificate with fake documents

Jalpaiguri: A youngster from Bihar was arrested at the Jalpaiguri Sub-Divisional Officer’s (SDO) office on Monday after attempting to secure a domicile certificate using educational documents from the Bihar Board.

The incident has sparked concerns in Jalpaiguri Sadar sub-division as the state government tightens measures to curb the misuse of such certificates. Investigations into the issuance of fraudulent documents are already underway.

According to SDO Tamojit Chakraborty, the youth, identified as Sanu Kumar from Bihar’s Kishanganj district, appeared at the office to submit his application for a domicile certificate. However, when asked to provide proof of land ownership and documentation of a 10-year residency in Jalpaiguri, Kumar was unable to produce the necessary paperwork, leading to the rejection of his application.

The situation escalated when members of the Bangla Pakkha, who were present at the office, noticed the discrepancy. They questioned Kumar and raised concerns about the potential misuse of fake certificates by individuals from other states. Siddharth Mukhopadhyay, a member of Bangla Pakkha, explained: “People from other states are obtaining fake domicile certificates to secure jobs in central government services, such as the army and paramilitary forces, under the Bengal quota. Meanwhile, local youths are being deprived of these opportunities. We have informed district administrations across the state about this issue, and today’s incident highlights the ongoing problem.”

Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that Kumar held educational certificates from Bihar but an Aadhaar card listing a Siliguri address in West Bengal. He was subsequently handed over to the police for further investigation.