Silchar/Guwahati, May 27: If you are a post-paid CellOne subscriber in Assam, expect BSNL to call one of these days to ask who you are.

The “identity re-verification process” has been necessitated by reports of militants using at least a dozen SIM cards issued to people with a common address: Rajiv Bhawan, the PCC headquarters in Guwahati. The Congress has blamed mobile service providers for SIM cards falling into the wrong hands, saying that connections are asked for and given too easily.

The general manager of Silchar telecom circle, Sri Ram, said today that BSNL has worked out a system to minimise, if not eliminate, the possibility of mobile phone connections being misused. Photo-identity cards with mobile phone numbers embossed on them will be issued to all CellOne subscribers to prevent them from “unofficially transferring” the connections to other people.

A senior police official called it “a very good move”.

Reliance Telecom, the other mobile service provider whose SIM cards have been used by militants, is also planning to verify the credentials of each subscriber.

Mobile phone connections are often applied for by politicians and given out of turn. “The applications come on letterheads of political parties. So, there is little we can do,” said a telecom official.

Stung by revelations of SIM cards in the names of Congress functionaries being issued by Ulfa, the party said last week that the identities may have been faked. State Congress chief Bhubaneswar Kalita said BSNL’s verification system was not foolproof.

“Anyone can mention Rajiv Bhawan as his or her address and get away with it. It is the duty of the service provider to ascertain whether the person is a genuine party worker,” Kalita said.

However, he could not explain how SIM card number 98640-74538, issued to Pradesh Youth Congress vice-president Amal Patowary, was used by militants. “I have asked him to give an explanation,” he said.

A representative of a mobile service provider said there were instances of politicians selling their SIM cards after deactivation of connections for non-payment of bills. “These SIMs could have gone into the hands of militants.”

The army found SIM cards allotted to politicians on some militants who were arrested earlier this month. The issue was kept under wraps until last week.

The Congress panicked and instituted an inquiry when the media went to town with reports on the militant-politician connection.