Mayor assured action against bogus birth certs in 3 months, says Somaiya

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar/Nashik: Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya on Monday said the mayor of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar assured him that action will be taken against bogus birth certificates in the next three months."Today I had met the mayor. He told me that a panel will be formed to execute the scrutiny of the bogus birth certificates. He assured me that such certificates will be cancelled in the next three months, and action will be taken against those who are guilty," he said.Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Mayor Sameer Rajurkar could not be reached for his comments on the matter. Speaking with the media during his visit to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Somaiya had said he will be visiting different cities and towns where the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance took charge. On a row over Tipu Sultan's portrait in Malegaon, Somaiya said many elements are eulogising villains as heroes. "Just because their mayor got elected in Malegaon or in Parbhani, they should refrain from glorifying villains," he said. Somaiya claimed an attack on him and his car during his visit to Sillod from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Sept 1 last year, when he visited local authorities in matters related to alleged bogus birth certificates.Claiming that extremists attacked him, the BJP leader said CISF commandos pushed the attackers away. Local police said protesters only waved black flags at Somaiya while attempting to stop his vehicle.Kirit Somaiya alleges fake birth certificate racket in NashikSomaiya alleged that similar to the Malegaon episode, a fake birth certificate racket operated in Nashik as well. He claimed that a gang was actively involved in issuing bogus birth certificates and presented proof of what he termed a ‘fraudulent birth certificate' issued in the name of Shaikh Nayra Nur Mohammad of the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC)'s health department. "A complaint on this alleged fake document was already filed with the police," he said. Somaiya made the allegations during a press conference held at the office of the city Mayor Himgauri Aher at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, the municipal headquarters.According to Somaiya, nearly 18,000 old birth records uploaded during the online registration process may be fraudulent. He said, "I demanded a thorough inquiry from the mayor, municipal commissioner, and the medical superintendent of the NMC to verify the authenticity of these records." City Mayor Himgauri Aher confirmed that an immediate inquiry was ordered into allegations of fake birth certificates issued from the Satpur divisional office.