Amid controversy over the alleged nexus between the Mizoram government and a non-local smuggler, a district administration in Mizoram has registered a complaint with the state police over a counterfeit scheduled tribe certificate being allegedly issued by the administration to the smuggler, police said on Thursday.
The FIR was registered at a cybercrime police station in Aizawl on Wednesday, the police said.
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Lalvenhima, a sub-divisional magistrate of Aizawl district, who filed the FIR said in his complaint that copies of the fake tribal certificate allegedly stated to be issued from the Aizawl deputy commissioner’s office were widely circulated on various social media platforms on Wednesday evening.
He said that the certificate was forged as if it was issued by a sub-deputy commissioner named Lalzorama Chhakchhuak.
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The official urged the state police to take measures to ensure that the culprits behind the forged tribal certificate are nabbed and legal action is taken against them.
The fake tribal certificate, a copy of which is available with this news portal, has the imprint of the name of Abu Mazumdar, a trader from Assam’s Silchar town, whose presence at the dinner party between chief ministers of Mizoram and Assam in November last year, was exposed through news reports after his house has been raided by the police in connection with smuggling of Burmese supari recently.
Mazumdar, whose permanent address in the fake certificate was Zuangtui in Aizawl, got his surname ‘Sailo’, while his father’s name was written as Zoram Chhetri Sailo.
He belongs to Mizo (Lushai) tribe as per the fake certificate.
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Meanwhile, Aizawl deputy commissioner Lalhriatzuali Ralte denied that the tribal certificate was issued from her office and said it was totally ‘fake.’
“The tribal certificate bearing a name Abu Mazumdar S/o Zoram Chhetri Sailo of Zuangtui in Aizawl, which appears to have been issued through a Common Service Centre (CSC) is neither issued by the DC office nor the issuing authority Lalzorama Chhakchhuak, sub-deputy commissioner exists or work in the office,” she said.
Ralte said that the certificate stated as issued on February 8 was completely forged and fake.
The issue of chief minister Zoramthanga being linked to Mazumdar has become a major controversy in the state after a Silchar-based online news portal exposed that Mazumdar was present at the dinner held on the sidelines of border talks in New Delhi in November last year.
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The news report said that Mazumdar was invited by Zoramthanga at the dinner.
Mazumdar’s residence was raided recently and the accused is being searched by police for his alleged involvement in the smuggling of dried areca nuts from Myanmar.
However, the chief minister’s office and ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) on Monday denied the allegations through statements and claimed that Mazumdar might have been invited by the Assam chief minister.
Two days later, the state BJP quoting an MLA from Assam has claimed that Mazumdar was part of the Mizoram team during the dinner.
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The party accused the MNF government of being involved in areca nut smuggling.
Congress leader and MLA Zodintluanga had also alleged that Mazumdar was a close ally of Zoramthanga.
