Guwahati, June 19: The Asom Anusuchit Jati Yuba Chatra Santha, an organisation working for the rights of Scheduled Caste people in the state, today claimed that five per cent SC people deriving benefits like reservation in education and government jobs are not genuine.

According to the organisation, state government statistics recognise around 28 lakh people (seven per cent of the state's population) in Assam as belonging to the SC category. In 1935, the then British government included 16 castes in the SC category - the Kaivarta, Namsudra, Bityal Bania, Lalbegi, Bania, Basfor and Mehtor castes in the Brahmaputra Valley and Mali, Sutradhar, Jalia, Dhobi and Dugla or Dhuli, among others, in the Barak Valley.

Santha secretary Nityananda Das said, "A large number of non-SC candidates are taking advantage of reservation in SC category in medical and engineering colleges by producing SC certificates, depriving genuine candidates. In 1994, the Supreme Court had ordered the state government to set up state-level scrutiny committees to examine the certificates. But five years of the AGP rule, 15 years of the Congress and one year of the BJP government have failed to implement the order. People bearing surnames like Barua, Saikia, Bhuyan, Deka and Baishya are enjoying privileges by falsely claiming to belong to SC community. They make up five per cent of the total seven per cent of SCs that are getting benefits. Political representatives of the SCs in the state have not done anything for the people they claim to represent."

The organisation claimed that fake certificates were being issued by SC welfare boards at the subdivision level and urged the government to take strict action against these officials. It also warned of a sustained protest unless the scrutiny committee is set up immediately.