LUCKNOW: A Pakistani woman, who had come to India 35 years back to take part in a family wedding in Etah district of Uttar Pradesh, has landed in trouble after she took up the post of ‘officiating village head’ and her credentials were disclosed by local villagers.
Bano Beghum came to India from Karachi, Pakistan, to be a part of the wedding of one of her relatives in the Etah district never to go back. She tied the knot with one Akhtar Ali here and had been living here since then by getting her long-term visa extended time and again.
Moreover, she also participated in the rural local body elections and got elected as a member of her village panchayat in 2015. Now, with her identity disclosed, the District Panchayati Raj Officer (DPRO) has ordered to lodge an FIR against Bano.
The incident was reported in village Gudau under Jalesar tehsil in the district. Moreover, she earned a respect for herself in the village and so was elected the member of Village Panchayat in the last rural bodies polls. After the demise of the then Pradhan Shahnaz Beghum on January 9 this year, Bano Beghum was made to take over as the officiating pradhan by Gudau village panchayat members.
But when the word about her Pakistani origin spread, she relinquished the post by submitting her resignation in the first week of this month. However, DPRO got a probe conducted into her credentials and found that she had yet to take the citizenship of India. Consequently, he ordered the secretary of the village
panchayat to lodge a case against her.
As per the sources, the appointment of Bano Beghum as officiating village head was brought to the notice of District Panchayati Raj Officer (DPRO) Alok Priyadarshi by a villager Quwaidan Khan on December 10, this year. The DPRO got it inquired by the local police.
On the other, after the probe, the police authorities found that she continued to be a Pakistani national but had procured her voter ID card and Aadhar Card through illegal means.
Priyadarshi directed the Gadau Gram Panchayat secretary Dhyan Singh to lodge a case against Bano Beghum.
However, it was also revealed by the local sources that after the demise of the then gram pradhan Shahnaz Beghum, it was Dhyan Singh who had recommended the name of Bano Beghum to officiate in place of Shahnaz. However, he has also been shifted from Gudau village panchayat.
Moreover, the sources claimed that the probe was being conducted against all those who had helped Bano procuring Aadhar card, Voter ID card, and other documents. Action against all those who would be found helping her in committing the fraud would be taken later on the basis of the probe report.