UP: Officials detect 10 fake freedom fighter dependent certificates used to secure government jobs

BALLIA: The Ballia district administration has intensified its investigation into cases where people used fake freedom fighter dependent certificates to secure government jobs. Senior officials confirmed on Thursday that so far, 10 such certificates have been identified as fake.

District Magistrate Mangala Prasad Singh told reporters that his office has received multiple such certificates for verification from various institutions. "Our investigation has so far identified 10 certificates as fake. The district administration has initiated action at the office level and notified the respective institutions about the fraudulent certificates," Singh said.

To prevent such fraud, the district magistrate has mandated that all new applications for such certificates must be submitted with an affidavit, and no duplicate certificates should be issued to individuals who have already received them.

"The administration is currently reviewing 18 applications submitted by the dependents of 11 freedom fighters," the official said. A freedom fighter dependent certificate is an official document certifying that a person is a legal dependent of a recognised freedom fighter, often produced to avail the benefits of government pensions and other schemes.