Nawada
After the widely shared case of Dog Babu from rural Patna, another unusual application has surfaced—this time from Nawada district in Bihar, where a dog has applied for a residence certificate. The matter was brought to light by Nawada District Magistrate Ravi Prakash, a 2016 batch IAS officer, who shared a screenshot of the fake application on his X handle.
In a lighthearted post, Prakash wrote, copy cats or rather copy dogs, tried applying for a residence certificate from Sirdala, Rajauli... caught in the act. FIR being registered for this stale prank. The July 29 application featured a picture of a furry dog, with its parents listed as Dogesh ke Papa and Dogesh ki Mummy.
This is the third such bizarre incident in Bihar within a week. Earlier, fake applications were filed under the names Dog Babu in Masaurhi and Sonalika Tractor in East Champaran, the latter using an image of a Bhojpuri actress. All pranksters are now being tracked with the help of cybercrime experts, and FIRs have been filed in each case.
In the Masaurhi case, the application was actually processed, and a certificate was issued, prompting departmental action against two officials before the document was cancelled.
Residents in Bihar can apply for a residence certificate online under the Bihar Right to Public Service Act. These certificates are among the 11 identity documents accepted by the Election Commission. A recent surge in applications is being linked to the ongoing special revision of electoral rolls. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is reviewing whether more accessible ID proofs like Aadhaar and ration cards should also be accepted officially for voter verification.
