Family tree verification detects 'huge' fraud by legacy data users

Three persons, including a woman, arrested recently

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, April 12: What can be termed as the major step towards publishing an error and illegal Bangladeshis free updated NRC, the ongoing family tree verification exercise has been successful in detecting huge number of suspected persons trying to enroll their mes in the updated citizens’ document by fraudulent ways.

More and more such fraudulent cases are coming to the light during the ongoing family tree mismatch verification process of 48 lakhs NRC applicants across the State. The NRC authority has already completed 50 per cent of the family tree verification process and the rest will be completed by May 31. Sources said by the time the entire family tree verification exercise is completed the number of persons with suspected backgrounds using legacy data codes of persons who are not their ancestors, might be huge one.    

The family tree consist of mes of children and grandchildren of persons whose legacy data they have used to get their mes included in the updated NRC. A family tree was device worked out by the NRC authorities to prevent unscrupulous elements from claiming the same ancestry. With the help of the family tree concept the authority is trying to weed out false links to ensure publication of an error and illegal foreigners free updated NRC.

In one of the latest cases of misuse of legacy data the police recently arrested Abdul Jalil and Abdul Khalil after they were found to have used the legacy data of one Ishab Ali who was not their genuine ancestor. The NRC enquiry officer Pratap Chandra Deka engaged in family verification exercise at Rupahi, detected that Ishab Ali was not their origil father as claimed. Eventually both Jalil and Khalil of Rupahi revenue circle in gaon were arrested after the fraud was proved by the genuine family members of Ishab Ali by rejecting the claims of Jalil and Khalil during family verification exercise. Revenue circle officer at Rupahi Darsha Chetia told this reporter that the arrest was made for the cause of publishing an error free NRC.

In another recent case the police arrested one Sahera Begum from Rangalu gaon panchayat in gaon district on charges of using other’s legacy data by fraudulent ways to enroll her mes in the updated NRC.  

Even though the State NRC Coorditor Prateek Hajela refused to divulge the exact number of cases of fraudulent uses of legacy data, he told this correspondent that the statistic will be a “huge” one. He said the family tree concept has been proved to be a boon in weeding out false links to ensure publication of an error and illegal foreigners free updated NRC.

On other another crucial verification process is being carried out to examine  validity of panchayat documents submitted by married women as  linkage document with their ancestors to enroll their mes in the updated NRC. Notices are being served to married women and they will have to appear for hearings at the offices of Gaon Panchayat offices which issued documents to prove their linkages with ancestors. During the hearing the NRC authority will examine validity of panchayat documents and reasons for issuing such documents.

In December, 2017 the Supreme Court ruled that certificates given by gram panchayat secretaries can be used to claim inclusion in NRC, thereby setting aside an earlier Gauhati high court verdict that declared such documents idmissible as the sole proof of tiolity.

Altogether 29 lakh cases of panchayat documents will be verified next month.

Altogether 45,000 persons are involved in carrying out the ongoing family tree and panchayat documents verification simultaneously. The NRC authority will enhance the manpower strength after the Rongali Bihu vacation in the State. Both the verification processes will be completed by May 31.