By IANS
Bhubaneswar : The police have booked at least 32 people on the charges of manipulating caste certificates and enjoying government benefits in Kandhamal district of Orissa, an official said Thursday.
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed communal clashes between Hindu and Christian activists in December last year. Five people were killed and hundreds of houses of both communities were put to torch.
The tribals, mostly Hindus, alleged that non-tribal people from a community known as Pana are occupying important government posts in the district and enjoying government benefits by submitting false caste certificates.
“We have registered criminal cases against at least 32 people after we found that they had obtained false caste certificates,” a senior official told IANS.
“We received 122 such allegations from tribals. After inquiry, we have also recommended departmental actions against at least 53 government officials for securing government jobs by submitting false caste certificate,” he said, refusing to be named.
The tribals were angry after they found that some non-tribal people were enjoying government benefits by submitting false caste certificates, he said.