BALANGIR: Days after the state was rocked by a fake certificate racket that had a Balangir connection, reports of a student taking admission at Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya, Patharchepa using a forged recommendation letter of Rajya Sabha MP Niranjan Bishi has come to the fore.
The allegation was brought forward by social activist Bipin Kusalia who said he had applied for admission of her daughter into the school. He had furnished a recommendation letter of the MP for the admission. Prior to this, Bishi had recommended the name of another candidate for admission under his stipulated quota but the seat was filled up.
For the one seat that was left, Kusalia was asked to furnish a recommendation letter from the MP which he did. However, to his utter consternation, Kusalia discovered the seat was given to one Ronak Kumar Patra. This prompted Kusalia to seek information on the matter through RTI. The document procured by the social activist showed Patra’s recommendation letter did not have the signature or seal of the MP.
In fact, it was a Xerox copy of a letter with the letterhead of the Parliamentarian. Bishi was informed of the matter. Talking to mediapersons, the MP said it amounts to a breach of trust and action should be initiated against the guilty. Kusalia alleged the officials of School and Mass Education were in the know of things and demanded a probe to identify those who forged the MP’s letter.