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Kolkata: Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday alleged that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) was distributing birth certificates to dubious persons so that their names are not removed from the voter list after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of the Election Commission.
In a social media post, the LoP official said they have written to the Municipal Commissioner of KMC seeking comparative data on total certificates issued for the period from October 6 to November 5 and the same period last year 2024, certificates issued to non-residents outside the jurisdiction of KMC, certificates issued in case of late registration (especially those born before 2007) and certificates of recent births.
“It has come to my knowledge that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is indulging in illegal, unethical and unethical large-scale distribution of birth certificates; this is not for genuine citizens, but to facilitate and accommodate suspicious persons who are at risk of being removed from the electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise,” the officer claimed in an ex-post.
The BJP leader said he has also filed an RTI application in the KMC health department, seeking detailed data on birth certificates issued in the last 30 days.
He said, “This is nothing more than a blatant attempt to manipulate the voter rolls and undermine the democratic process. Birth certificates are legal documents for citizens of our country; usually for newborns or in some extremely rare cases, for people seeking genuine late registration.”
He insisted, “Birth certificates are not tools of political engineering, with the ill-intent of changing demographics for vested political interests.”
He further urged the Election Commission to investigate the malpractice he has raised.
“Any attempt to circumvent legal norms under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, will not be tolerated. I urge the Election Commission of India and concerned authorities to immediately investigate this malpractice in facilitating illegal infiltrators,” the BJP leader said.
–IANS