Assam: CID report claims MP Naba Kumar Sarania faked his ST certificate

The Gauhati High Court on December 23 ordered the verification of the Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificate which the independent MP Naba Jumar Sarania had submitted while filing his affidavit for the Lok Sabha elections.

Following the order of the High Court, the CID, Assam submitted its findings and as per which the ST(P) certificate was issued in the name of Naba Kumar Sarania, s/o late Lakhi Kanta Sarania hailing from Dighalipar, Tamulpur under Baksa district as "Boro Kachari" on September 12, 2011, by the Vice President, All Assam Tribal Sangha, Tamulpur district unit and countersigned by SDO (Civil) Tamulpur Sub-Division on 19-10-2011.

However, records obtained during the course of enquiry reveal that the parents and grandparents of Naba Kumar Sarania used titles such as "Sarukoch, Das, Deka" which are not listed under Boro Kachari.

Further, MP Naba Kumar Sarania used the title "Deka" as recorded in the Admission Register of Tamulpur government MV School for the year 1982. 

Scrutiny of Admission Register of Tampulpur government MV School for the year 1983 has revealed that the name of Naba Kumar Sarania was written as Naba Kumar Deka s/o Lakhi Kanta Deka of Dighalipur as entered in Sl. NO. 59.

Also Read: Assam: Gauhati High Court orders verification of MP Naba Sarania's ST certificate

In fact, in the "Certificate of Discharge or Transfer to the Reserve and Recommendation for Civil Employment" dated November 15, 1980, issued by the Commanding Officer of Assam Regimental Centre, Shillong, the class of late Lakhi Kanta Das s/o late Sela Rani Das was written as "Assamese" and sub-class as "Das" which shows that the parents of Naba Kumar Sarania were not Boro Kachoris. 

On the other hand, in the land Jamabadi record, the name of Naba Kumar Sarania's mother which was written as Deepika Das was struck off and "Sarukoch" was written just above the name.

Meanwhile, another title "Saru Das" was also given in brackets below the name Deepika Das.

Moreover, the interchange of titles/surnames i.e "Das, Sarukoch, Deka, Sarania" by Naba Kamar Sarania and family is another concern.

The development comes after former income-tax and tribal activist Janaklal Basumatary challenged the authenticity of Sarania's ST status and claimed that it was fake.

Basumatary further alleged that his complaints in this regard were ignored by the authorities concerned for the past three years.

However, hearing the matter, the High Court ordered a State-level scrutiny committee to look into the allegations against the MP.

Sarania represents western Assam's Kokrajhar parliamentary constituency.

Sarania is a former extremist and had joined the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in the 1980s and received arms training in Myanmar and Afghanistan.

He was the commander of a major strike battalion of the outfit.