Assam: Gauhati High Court orders verification of MP Naba Sarania's ST certificate

The Gauhati High Court on December 23 ordered the verification of the Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificate which the independent MP Naba Jumar Sarania had submitted while filing his affidavit for the Lok Sabha elections.

Sarania represents western Assam's Kokrajhar parliamentary constituency.

The development comes after former income-tax and tribal activist Janaklal Basumatary had challenged the authenticity of Sarania's ST status and claimed that it was fake.

Basumatary further alleged that his complaints in this regard were ignored by the authorities concerned for the past three years.

However, hearing the matter, the High Court ordered a State-level scrutiny committee to look into the allegations against the MP.

Sarania is a former extremist and had joined the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in the 1980s and received arms training in Myanmar and Afghanistan.

He was the commander of a major strike battalion of the outfit.

Also read: Gauhati High Court grants bail to Assam Joint Secretary held on bribery charges