Jalpaiguri, March 12: The district land acquisition department is investigating the validity of claims based on which land loser certificate holders had acquired the document.

The certificate holders have been using the document to get employment, especially as primary teachers under a special quota.

The department’s move follows the arrest of Gopal Ganguly, a revenue inspector of the land acquisition department, from Gairkata yesterday.

Ganguly was accused of issuing a certificate to Arshad Hussain of Fulbari eight years ago, though he was not entitled to one.

District land and land reforms officer Rajiv Kumar said: “The district primary education programme (DPEP) chairman has sent a list of candidates to us who have either appeared in entrance examinations under the exempted category or are working in various schools after getting jobs under this quota. We have instructed that the validity of the certificates they possess be checked.”

According to Kumar, land loser certificates are issued only to those people whose land has been acquired by the government and who earned their living from the plot.

“In case of north Bengal, most of the land losers have lost their plots, which were situated by the banks of the Teesta canal. The government had acquired the plots for the project,” an official of the land acquisition department said.

A vigilance inquiry was initiated against Ganguly after certain flaws were noticed in the certificates being issued by him.

“After getting all the papers, under the instruction of the ADM, I lodged a First Information Report against him at the Kotwali police station,” said Badal Sarkhel, the special land acquisition officer.

Ganguly had reportedly issued a land loser certificate to Arshad Hussain of Fulbari as he claimed to be the brother of one Saunia Mohammad, whose grandfather’s land was acquired by the government.

Saunia, had given in writing that Arshad was his brother. “Later, it was found that no such relation existed between them. Ganguly was asked to inquire into the matter but gave a clean chit to Hussain. He was picked up by the police with Mohammad,” Sarkhel said.

The district primary council is also worried over the case. “We have nothing to do. The names of candidates belonging to this special category come from the national employment exchange. But we have asked the district administration to inquire into the matter. We have also handed over a list of the candidates to them. If anybody is found guilty, steps would be taken against him,” said Shaktidas Mukherjee, the chairman of the primary school council.