Silchar: Civil society groups protested in Silchar on Tuesday, seeking a probe into alleged discrepancies in the educational credentials of newly elected municipal councillors.The protesters demanded that the Nov 5 swearing-in ceremony of Silchar Municipal Corporation (SMC) councillors be postponed until the allegations are investigated and legally resolved. They claimed certificates submitted by 12 to 13 winning candidates contained discrepancies and alleged that authorities ignored objections raised during the nomination process.The protesters marched from District Sports Association ground to the Cachar deputy commissioner’s office and submitted a memorandum to CM Himanta Biswa Sarma through the district commissioner.Prasenjit Deb, senior advocate Soumitra Choudhury and educationist Buddhadeb Choudhury alleged that the administration failed to act on complaints about candidates’ qualifications. They also claimed the Assam Municipal Corporation Act, 2022, had not been properly followed.They cited the case of Kanchan Dev, the BJP councillor-elect from Ward 6, who allegedly declared a BA degree obtained in 2018 from Sikkim International University, though the university was established under legislation enacted in 2021. The allegation could not be independently verified.The issue surfaced before the Oct 3 civic polls when Assam Jatiya Parishad leader Kunki Chowdhury questioned the qualifications declared by 13 BJP candidates and filed complaints with State Election Commission and district authorities. She also questioned degrees declared by BJP candidates Pratiksha Dev and Papali Karmakar from Jodhpur National University.The BJP won 32 of the 42 seats, while the AGP won two, Congress two and Independents six. Two BJP candidates were elected unopposed.The protesters sought an impartial probe and suspension of the oath-taking of councillors facing allegations. They announced another demonstration on Nov 5.
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