'Dog Babu' Son Of 'Kutta Babu' Controversy Fuels Debate Over SIR In Bihar

Amid the widespread uncertainty with the Special Intensive Revision Exercise, a dog has received a residence certificate. Patna’s “Dog Babu” was granted this certificate, complete with the digital signature of the Revenue Officer Murari Chauhan.

According to a Times of India report, the residence certificate was issued from Bihar RTPS's portal of the Masaurhi Zone Office. It features a picture of a golden retriever and lists his name as “Dog Babu”.

Within minutes, the concerned officials revoked this certificate, citing "a mischievous element" as the reason for the oddity. However, "Dog Babu" and his certificate have gone viral on social media. 

Revenue officer Murari Chauhan digitally signed the certificate, which included all of the parents' information.  The certificate, which was issued via the government's Right to Public Service webpage, stated that the dog's name was "Dog Babu," his mother's was "Kutiya Devi," and his father's was "Kutta Babu."  It stated that Dog Babu resides in the Masaurhi post office neighbourhood.

NDTV reports that after some research, it was discovered that the certificate was connected to records that had once belonged to a Delhi woman.  Someone had altered her data to create the phoney certificate, as evidenced by the fact that her Aadhaar card and other documents had been uploaded to the portal.

"Very serious", said Patna District Magistrate Thiyagarajan regarding the situation.  "Some enigmatic entity has attempted this.  On July 24 at 3:56 p.m., the certificate was given, but it was revoked two minutes later at 3:58 p.m.  Action is being taken against the person who made the recommendation and is involved in this; a formal complaint is being filed against them.  They've been placed on suspension.  We are also looking into who did this and why such an application was submitted through the cyber police station.  We will look into this and deal with anyone responsible," the official declared.

The certificate became more of a talking topic because of the intense controversy surrounding Bihar's current Special Intensive Revision of voter lists.  The opposition has claimed that the SIR is aimed at denying individuals the ability to vote through the alteration of the voter list.  After that, a fictional dog can obtain a certificate of residency.

Reportedly, Prabhat Ranjan, Masaurhi's Sub-Divisional Officer, described the occurrence as a "cheap joke" and a serious instance of tampering with official documents. 

The Patna District Administration released a statement confirming the document has been cancelled and strict action is underway. "Departmental and disciplinary action will be taken against the guilty employees and officers," the statement added.