Itanagar: A major controversy has erupted in Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw district over the alleged issuance of fake Permanent Residential Certificates (PRCs) to non-Arunachalee individuals for recruitment into the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), prompting a preliminary probe by the local police.
The issue came to light after a letter dated April 2, 2025, from the Inspector Crime Branch, SP Office, Hawai, was addressed to the Officer-in-Charge of Hayuliang Police Station. The letter sought verification of domicile and antecedents of 16 individuals based on a request received from the Basic Training Centre of ITBP, Panchkula, Haryana.
However, the names of all 16 individuals who were on the list indicated that they were not from Arunachal Pradesh and most likely from outside the Northeast. This tossed suspicions about the authenticity of their documents.
The letter, along with an audio clip of a conversation between an alleged relative of one of the candidates and another individual discussing the verification process, went viral on social media, sparking outrage among local residents.
Following public uproar, the Cultural and Literary Society of Mishmi (CALSOM) lodged a zero FIR at Tezu Police Station in Lohit district, demanding immediate investigation.
“Taking cognisance of the FIR, the Anjaw district police initiated a preliminary inquiry and reportedly recovered a few PRCs allegedly signed by different former deputy commissioners. The police then sought verification of these documents from the district administration,” a police source told NewsFy.
In its response, the Anjaw district administration informed the police that the certificates in question were fake, noting that the office still issues PRCs manually and has not yet adopted digital signatures.
The administration also confirmed that the seized PRCs bearing digital signatures were invalid, the source said.
Subsequently, the Anjaw police wrote to the ITBP training centre, confirming that the certificates were fake and not issued by any authorised office of the state government.
While an internal enquiry is ongoing, a formal FIR in the matter is yet to be registered in Anjaw.
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