Pak national becomes gram panchayat head in UP’s Etah, probe ordered

Authorities in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah have said they have removed a 65-year-old Pakistani national, who has been living in India on a long-term visa after marrying an Indian national, as the interim village panchayat head in Jalesar and ordered a probe into her election.

District panchayati raj officer Alok Priyadarshi said magistrate Sukhlal Bharti has ordered the probe to know how Bano Begum managed to get an Aadhaar card and other documents to get elected as a gram panchayat member and later the interim village head. He added Begum, who is from Karachi in Pakistan, came to Etah about 40 years back after marrying Etah resident Akhtar Ali. She has repeatedly applied for Indian citizenship.

“In the 2015 local body elections, Bano Begum was elected as a gram panchayat member. Gram pradhan [chief] Shehnaz Begum died on January 9 this year and Begum was asked to work as interim gram pradhan.”

A local resident lodged a complaint about Begum saying she was working as gram pradhan without authority as she is a Pakistani national.

Bharti has also ordered the police to file a case against Begum.