PATNA: Every dog has his day. In Bihar, some have Aadhaar-verified addresses when many voters are struggling to convince the poll panel about theirs. The claws are out after a residence e-certificate issued to a dog in Patna’s Masaurhi area surfaced, listing one “Dog Babu” as the applicant, “Kutta Babu” as the father and “Kutiya Devi” as the mother.
The document was issued to an online applicant who apparently used others’ Aadhaar details and remains untraced. It was issued on July 24 when EC’s special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was on ahead of the assembly elections later this year.
The howler has sparked an outcry from the opposition that has already protested SIR in the NDA-governed state and led many to wonder whether Bihar’s e-governance systems had gone walkies. Such residence certificates are among documents EC has been insisting on during the drive to “purge” the rolls of alleged bogus and illegal voters.
Masaurhi SDO Abhishek Kumar disclosed that the online application was “fraudulently” supported by an Aadhaar card of one Vibha Kumari with a Delhi address. “The applicant also used the Aadhaar of her husband Ajit Kumar, also with a Delhi address,” the SDO said, adding an FIR had been filed against the unknown applicant, an IT assistant and a revenue officer who handled the matter.
For a certificate issued in Masaurhi, the documents should have reflected a local address, a basic criterion overlooked due to negligence. IT assistant Rakesh Kumar has been removed while revenue officer Murari Chauhan, who approved the application without verification, faces suspension, said Patna DM Thiyagarajan SM.
The blooper became a lightning rod for political outrage and mockery, with opposition parties slamming the Nitish Kumar-led NDA govt and EC. The row comes in the backdrop of SC’s observation that Aadhaar and EPIC (voter) cards should be valid for SIR.
RJD mascot and state leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav took a biting swipe: “Nothing moves in Bihar without paying a bribe. Earlier, Aadhaar cards were made in the names of Sunny Leone and CM Nitish Kumar. The dog must have paid some bribe, too.”
Tejashwi further said: “People can now understand how intensive this so-called revision was. What more proof does one need about the farcical nature of this exercise...”
Congress also reacted sharply, saying “it seems the votes of the people would be taken away and given to the dogs”.
Purnia MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav posted a copy of the certificate on social media platform X and wrote: “A dog is showing its residence certificate while human beings are unable to provide evidence.” Activist and psephologist Yogendra Yadav echoed the concerns, saying, “This is the same certificate acceptable in SIR while Aadhaar and ration cards are being called fake.”
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