BJD MlA Ramesh Chandra Patua had first got a caste certificate from an unauthorised officer and by virtue of the same managed to get another certificate from the Tehsil office which he produced with the ECI and got elected to the Rengali Reserved (SC) Assembly seat, alleged social worker and RTI activist Sanjay Chhuria.
Chhuria said a real SC candidate was deprived of his/her right as Patua snatched the seat meant for them by producing a forged certificate.
Patua, who appeared before the State level scrutiny committee on April 20 to keep his stand on his caste, also submitted the forged caste certificate he got in the year 1994 from the then BDO of Rengali, alleged Chhuria.
“As per rules, only a tehsildar or a Sub-Collector is authorised to issue caste certificates. Patua’s caste certificate issued by the BDO is totally illegal,” opined Chhuria.
“The local Revenue Inspector (RI) and Tehsildar of Rengali knew well that Patua was not of SC category. Hence he thought it easy to take this from a BDO, who is not authorised for it,” Chhuria said.
Chhuria further alleged that Patua got a caste certificate from Rengali Tehsil office in the year 2003 vide case no 662/2003. But the record of that case is not available in the said office now.
He said the caste certificate that Patua took in 2014 to contest the election is also forged. Hence, the Government needs to take immediate action against the MlA and remove him from this post. He also demanded actions against officers who produced fake certificates in Patua’s name at different times.