Bhubaneswar: Orissa government has sacked
an officer and identified about 100 others for allegedly
joining services in state government, banks and PSUs by
producing fake caste certificates, official sources said.
The issue of fake caste certificate, considered a
major reason behind last year`s communal violence in Kandhamal
district, surfaced with the State Level Scrutiny Committee
(SLSC) of the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Development
department identifying over 100 such cases.
"Of the 183 allegations relating to misuse of caste
certificates, 105 were found to be true", said a senior
official at the ST & SC Development department.
The officer already sacked was indetified as Browny
Pradhan, welfare extension officer (WEO) working at Sorada in
Ganjam district.
Pradhan was sacked from the government job
under Clause 18 (II) of Orissa Civil Service (Classification,
Control and Appeal) Rules 1962.
Pradhan, from Malikapadi Kumbharkumpha village under G
Udaygiri police station area in Kandhamal, joined the
government job by producing an allegedly fake caste
certificate of a tribal while he was a converted Christian.
Pradhan`s father Jagannath was a scheduled caste
(Pano) before their family embraced Christianity.
"Many people have joined government, semi-government,
corporation and other jobs using fake tribal caste
certificate", the official said adding many of them were found
to be teachers, assistants in government.
While five persons were identified as doing jobs in
the state secretriat with the help of fake caste certificates,
two were in the ST & SC Development department, they said
adding that the SLSC was now verifying allegations received
from Kandhamal and Balangir districts.
"We have already issued discharge notice to one
welfare officer working under the ST & SC development
department while another ASO (assistant section officer) case
is referred to the home department for action", the official
said.
Seven police inspectors were deployed in Kandhamal to
locate the persons who allegedly misused caste certificates to
enter into government jobs, they said.
Bureau Report
