Fake notification on civic polls circulated on WhatsApp, FIR likely

Since the state government had already issued an interim notification in this regard a week ago, issuance of a fresh interim ‘notification’ making changes in the earlier notification upset the possible/declared candidates and their supporters

A fake ‘government notification’ revising the reservation status of seats with regard to the forthcoming civic polls in Uttar Pradesh caused much confusion as it was circulated on the instant messaging platform WhatsApp.

A fake government notification revising the reservation status of seats with regard to the forthcoming civic polls was circulated on the messaging application. (Picture for representation)

The state government is expected to lodge an FIR in the whole matter on Monday.

Since the state government had already issued an interim notification in this regard a week ago, issuance of a fresh interim ‘notification’ making changes in the earlier notification upset the possible/declared candidates and their supporters throughout the state on Sunday.

The ‘notification’ claimed to have been issued by section one of the state government’s urban development department on October 21, 2017.

The fresh ‘notification’ changed the reservation status of various seats contrary to the one provided by the earlier notification. For example, many municipal, corporations/nagar palikas, nagar panchayats that were earlier reserved for women candidates or the Scheduled Caste or OBC candidates have been shown under the ‘unreserved’ category or vice versa.

“I called up two local newspaper offices for confirmation but my confusion was further compounded as they neither rebutted or confirmed,” Kasganj city Congress president Tarun Sharma told the HT.

Kasganj nagar palika was reserved for general women candidates but the social media notification put it under the ‘unreserved’ category.

The ‘notification’ carrying the name and ‘signatures’ of principal secretary, urban development, Manoj Kumar Singh and special secretary Shailendra Kumar Singh has been drafted in such a manner as it appears to be genuine.

“This appears to have been drafted copying the earlier one with necessary changes,” additional state election commissioner JP Singh said, confirming the ‘notification’ was fake.

“I have talked to officials in the urban development department and they say no such notification has been issued by them,” he said.

Kripa Shankar Jaiswar, section officer of the section 1 said no such notification had been issued by his office.

“We are going to lodge an FIR in this matter on Monday. We hope the police will be able to find out as to who drafted and circulated the fake notification and why,” he said.