Coochbehar, 28 July (H.S.): Sitai MLA Sangita Roy has been served a notice by the block administration over allegations that she used a fake Scheduled Caste (SC) certificate to contest the Assembly election from a reserved constituency. Acting on the instructions of the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), the Block Development Officer (BDO) has directed the legislator to appear for verification of her SC certificate.

According to the administration, Tuesday was fixed as the date for the certificate verification. However, as the MLA was not found at her residence, officials pasted the notice on the wall of her house, directing her to appear before the BDO office with the necessary documents.

The controversy dates back to the Assembly elections, when BJP-GCPA-backed candidate Ashutosh Barman alleged that Sangita Roy had contested the reserved seat using a fake SC certificate. After the election, he submitted a complaint to the Sub-Divisional Officer. Alleging inaction by the authorities, Barman later approached the Calcutta High Court. Following the court proceedings, the administration issued the notice seeking verification of the MLA's caste certificate.

Reacting to the development, Ashutosh Barman said they had been raising the issue since the election campaign. He alleged that if the certificate was indeed fake, Sangita Roy had no legal right to contest from a reserved constituency. He added that the Rajbanshi community had taken serious note of the matter and warned of a larger agitation if appropriate action was not taken.

It may be recalled that after becoming an MLA, Sangita Roy left Mamata Banerjee's camp and joined the Trinamool faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee. She had attended a meeting convened by the Ritabrata faction, although she maintained at the time that she still regarded Mamata Banerjee as her leader and had attended the meeting due to prevailing circumstances.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey