Caste Certificate Row: Candidate, YouTuber Booked in Daltonganj Civic Polls

Daltonganj: Election officials on Friday filed a criminal case against a ward councillor candidate and a YouTuber for not submitting a caste certificate and for allegedly making false statements linked to the upcoming civic body polls.The case was lodged against Ajay Paswan and YouTuber Sheikh Mojahid at Hussainabad police station on Friday. Administrative sources said Palamu district election officer-cum-deputy commissioner, Sameera S ordered Pankaj Kumar, the returning officer (RO) of Hussainabad Nagar Panchayat, to lodge the FIR.Chandan Kumar, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Hussainabad police station, on Saturday said Paswan filed a nomination for the post of ward member in ward number 14 under the Hussainabad Nagar panchayat.“During scrutiny, his nomination document did not have his caste certificate. Subsequently, his nomination was rejected,” Chandan said. “After his nomination was rejected, Paswan gave an interview to a YouTuber, Sheikh Mojahid, wherein he levelled baseless, unfounded, and malicious allegations against the RO.”“Paswan alleged that his nomination was rejected to help a candidate get elected unopposed,” the OC added. The interview then went viral on social media, following which an FIR was registered against them. Paswan and Mojahid were charged with various sections of the BNS, such as forgery to harm reputation, disobedience of an order lawfully passed, false statement in connection with the election, and publication or circulation of a false statement in connection with the election on or through digital means.

Hussainabad sub-divisional police officer S Mohammad Yakub said, “These two will be served notices by the police to explain their situation. The investigation will be transparent and fair. The law will take its own course in this case.”