The Bengal government has asked district magistrates to re-verify all 1.69 crore SC, ST and OBC certificates issued since 2011 after the genuineness of some of the documents was “challenged by different quarters” over the past few years.

“You are aware that around 1.69 crore caste certificates have been issued since 2011... Now, it has been observed that the authenticity and genuineness of some Caste Certificates issued since 2011 have been challenged by different quarters,” reads an order issued by the secretary of the backward classes welfare (BCW) department on Thursday.

“You are, therefore, requested to kindly advise all the Sub-Divisional Officers, who are the certificate issuing authorities, to re-verify all the Caste certificates issued since 2011,” the order reads further.

Sources in the state administration said that complaints had come up in the past few years that the erstwhile Trinamool Congress government had issued Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates to ineligible people without verifying their background.

“The practice of issuing caste certificates to ineligible people started just ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls by the previous government to get back a foothold in Jungle Mahal, where the BJP had won several seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The practice started after the government had launched the Duare Sarkar programme in the last half of 2020,” said an official.

According to records available with the BCW department, about 47.8 lakh certificates — 32.51 lakh SC certificates, 6.65 lakh ST certificates and 8.64 lakh OBC certificates — were issued based on applications received at the Duare Sarkar camps.

“Allegations of issuing certificates to ineligible people started cropping up as the top brass of the then government asked the SDOs — the issuing authority of caste certificates — to issue certificates based on the Duare Sarkar applications in a hurry. As detailed scrutiny and verification could not be carried out because of the push from Nabanna, several ineligible people received caste certificates,” said an official.

The problem took a critical turn later on as the government started issuing second-generation caste certificates based on the certificates issued to ineligible people.

The SC, ST and OBC populace felt that they would be deprived of benefits like reservation in government jobs because of the inclusion of ineligible people in the category.

Although several complaints had been lodged in various SDO offices, the previous government did nothing and issuance of caste certificates continued unabated.

“The situation in Jungle Mahal, where the majority of the SC and ST people reside, turned critical for the Trinamool Congress over the past few years. The BJP used the situation and strengthened its foothold in the area. The result was visible as the BJP won the majority of the seats in Jungle Mahal in the recent Assembly polls,” said a source.

The order issued by the secretary of the BCW department on Thursday also said: “Moreover, caste certificates issued to the persons and dependents whose names have been deleted from the electoral roll of the state in the recently concluded SIR exercise, shall be examined and may be cancelled following the due process as per the extant Act & Rules mentioned above. Any laxity in this regard will be viewed accordingly and personal liability of the issuing authority shall be fixed.”