1.13 Lakh Rohingyas Got Birth Certificates in Maharashtra: BJP Leader
Mumbai: BJP leader Kirit Somaiya on Tuesday alleged that nearly 2.14 lakh illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have applied for birth certificates in Maharashtra in the last six months. Claiming that there is a scam under which bogus birth certificates, ration cards, and school certificates are being issued, the BJP leader said that 1.13 lakh birth suspicious certificates were issued to foreign nationals.
The Maharashtra government has already ordered an investigation into Mr. Somaiya’s allegations. The BJP leader also demanded a forensic audit of all the certificates issued and applications received/processed for “delayed birth certificate” by the Tehsildar and SDMs in 2024. He wrote a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who handles the Home portfolio.
Last week, the BJP-led Mahayuti government decided to put on hold issuing birth and death certificates to those who are making applications more than a year after the birth or death. The revenue department issued an order to hold birth and death certificates to those who have delayed making applications. The decision came in the backdrop of the allegations that Bangladeshi Rohingyas are being provided official documents in some parts of Maharashtra, which they subsequently use to get voting rights and Indian citizenship.
The state home department has also constituted an SIT (special investigation team) headed by Dattatray Karale, Special Inspector General of Police, Nashik to probe the complaints of fraudulent registrations of birth certificates.
In his letter, Mr. Somaiya claimed that 97 per cent of “delayed birth registration applications” belong to one religious community, who seem to have come from Bangladesh. “Not a single document has been verified through appropriate authority,” he claimed.
The BJP leader had personally met 17 collectors and 37 Tehsildars in connection with the alleged bogus birth certificates. He said, “I am confident that more than 90 per cent of delayed birth certificates shall be rejected as I have personally verified more than hundred applications.”
It is pertinent to note that Before 2023, the District and Session Court’s approval was needed for applications for birth and death certificates delayed by more than a year. But the central government had brought an amendment in the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 giving powers to district collectors/ Sub Divisional Officers.
Somaiya claimed that the Amendment Act has been misused by giving bribes to local authorities. As result, 2.14 lakh Bangladeshis and Rohingyas applied for birth certificates in Maharashtra in the past six months.
