Srinagar: District Administration Anantnag busted a fake ST certificate racket in Anantnag Saturday, officials said.
They said several individuals and organisations had complained that fake ST (scheduled caste) certificates are being issued in Anantnag. Several tribal welfare groups had expressed anguish about the non-tribal people being appointed to jobs on the basis of fake certificates.
The complaints pertained mainly to Tehsil Shangus where certificates had been issued to non-tribal people, officials said.
They said acting on specific inputs, a decoy operation was launched by the administration. An individual approached the accused for issuance of an ST certificate. On confirmation of the information, the administration in collaboration with 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, they said.
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 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.
