Fake residence certificate issued in favour of ‘dog babu’ in rural Patna; FIR lodged against applicant, officials

A fake residence certificate was issued to a stray dog in rural Patna, naming its canine parents. Authorities canceled the document, filed an FIR, and launched a probe amid scrutiny of Bihar's voter list revision process

Patna: A residence certificate was recently issued in rural Patna in favour of one four-legged ‘dog babu’, born to parents with similar canine nomenclature, prompting a red-faced administration to lodge an FIR against all concerned persons.

The certificate of residence was issued last week in Masaurhi circle, falling under the eponymous sub-division, apparently as part of a scramble for such documents during the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.

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Under the Bihar Right To Public Service Act, citizens can apply for a certificate of residence online, and the same would be issued by the officials concerned after due verification.

Screenshots of the certificate, with the photograph of ‘Dog babu’, a stray canine, born to ‘kutta babu’ and ‘kutiya devi’ have gone viral on social media, with many people taking the opportunity to question why, instead of allowing such madness, the Election Commission was not accepting Aadhaar cards and ration cards, as suggested by the Supreme Court recently.

The district administration on Monday came out with a statement that the certificate, dated July 24, “was cancelled as soon as the matter came to light”.

“Besides, an FIR has been lodged at the local police station against the applicant, the computer operator who fed the information in the system and the official who went on to issue the certificate. The Sub Divisional Officer of Masaurhi has been asked to conduct a detailed investigation and submit a report within 24 hours”, said the district administration in a statement.

It added “departmental and disciplinary action will be initiated against the erring officials”.