SSC candidates with fake certificates under scanner

Manas Banerjee

MALDA, April 4: Several candidates selected as assistant teachers in a number of secondary and higher secondary schools in the district in the physically handicapped category are under scanner for allegedly producing ‘false’ certificates to the school service commission. The SSC (northern region) in Malda has found nearly 50 such candidates who are suspected to have submitted false certificates. The SSC has stopped recommending their services and has sent their documents to the state government for verification. Though the selected candidates are reportedly coaxing the SSC authorities through "connections" to issue recommendation letters, the chairman, SSC (northern region) is resolute to have the documents verified before recommending. “The matter came into light during interview and counselling session when a candidate confessed of having procured a fake physically handicapped certificate from an agency and submitted it to the SSC to get job under the quota easily,” said Mr Vivekananda Pradhanthe chairman, SSC (northern region). Most of the false certificates were issued from Lalbag in Murshidabad district, the SSC officials said. Committee members of the SSC got suspicious when he found many of the candidates registered under the quota having no sign of physical disability. The chairman, SSC (northern region) selected one of the submitted certificates issued from Alipurduar sent it to the issuing authorities for verification. “I was taken aback by the reply claiming the certificate was genuine. The authorities said the same thing about the other certificates including one that the candidate himself claimed to be fake. That explained the whole thing", said Mr Pradhan.“I informed the state authorities about the racket and they asked for the documents submitted by the suspected candidates. We have sent all the doubtful cases to the state authority and are awaiting reply,” he said.