Suvendu lodges complaint with CEO alleging discrepancies in issuance of birth certificates

Kolkata, Nov 4 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) alleging large-scale discrepancies in the issuance of birth certificates amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.

Adhikari, accompanied by two other BJP leaders, met CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal and submitted a written complaint.

"Fake birth certificates are being prepared by agencies linked to the Trinamool Congress to manipulate the electoral process," he said.

He claimed that a surge in delayed birth registrations had been noticed across districts and municipal areas following the Election Commission's order that listed birth certificates as valid documents for citizenship verification.

"Applications for delayed birth registration have increased exponentially, with an ulterior motive to validate dubious claims of citizenship," he alleged.

He also alleged that the ruling party cadres and local administrative officials were monitoring and facilitating the process.

The BJP leader accused a section of local self-government bodies of orchestrating manipulations "at the behest of the administration" and demanded that the Election Commission ensure an impartial and transparent verification process.

Adhikari also alleged that fake certificates were being issued with retrospective effect, often under the guise of "lost documents".

He said that in several cases, individuals had lodged general diary entries at local police stations claiming their birth certificates were missing and subsequently obtained new ones based on "doctored records".

Adhikari claimed that attempts were being made to show deceased voters as alive in official records. He warned that his party would demand strict action if any instance of forgery was detected during verification.

The senior BJP leader also sought publication of the list of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) with their designations on the CEO's website within 24 hours and adherence to Supreme Court directives regarding Aadhaar-linked documentation.

"We have demanded that the CEO publish the list of BLOs with their designations. There are cases where a mid-day meal cook has been nominated as a BLO. Such reports have been received from South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and Cooch Behar districts," he said. PTI SCH RG