'Donald Trump' from Samastipur wants residential proof: Saga of fake names amid electoral roll revision in poll-bound Bihar
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Donald Trump' from Samastipur wants residential proof: Saga of fake names amid electoral roll revision in poll-bound Bihar")
Screenshot of the fake residence certificate application submitted in the name of US President Donald Trump in Bihar Photograph: (Screenshot from ANI)
From Dogesh Babu to Hindu deities to birds, a series of fake names in Bihar for various government certificates has exposed the loopholes in the state's administration ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. The story has now taken an international turn with Trump's entry.
Amid the buzz around United States President Donald Trump's tariffs and trade war, there's another story about him that is unfolding in a part of poll-bound Indian state of Bihar. While everyone is focussed on Trump's next big announcement from the White House, someone in Bihar's Samastipur district has decided to make the US president a resident of the state! Despite the state administration facing a massive backlash due to the issuance of fake residential certificates to everyone, from Dogesh Babu to Sonalika tractor, the latest incident is proof that the people are not paying any attention to mend their ways and are hell-bent to continue with their mischief. The incident also comes at a time when the state is already making its buzz in the corridors of the Parliament with several lawmakers demanding a discussion on the ongoing electoral roll revision drive. Moreover, the timing of the application coincides with Trump's ongoing tariff war with India.
Donald Trump in Bihar?
Indian news agency PTI reported that an application submitted on July 29 in Mohiuddin Nagar block of Hasanpur village of Samastipur district claimed that the applicant's name was Donald Trump, his father's name was Frederick Christ Trump, and his mother's name was Mary Anne MacLeod. The applicant also used a passport-sized image of the US president in his application. Unlike the previous instances where several other district administrations had issued residential certificates in name of ‘Dogesh Babu’ and ‘Dog Babu’, here the Samastipur district administration rejected the application and registered a case at the Cyber Police Station for investigation. "It appears there is a diabolical attempt to negatively impact the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which is underway as per the instructions of the Election Commission,” the administration said in a statement, reported PTI. “Given the seriousness of the offence, a case has been lodged at the Cyber police station, Samastipur, for appropriate investigation and action,” the statement added.
Endless list of bizarre names and certificates issued to them
The endless series of bizarre incidents across Bihar has made headlines recently, with several fake online applications for official documents being uncovered, highlighting serious loopholes in the e-governance system. In Khagaria district, officials found applications for residence certificates submitted under the names of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, and even a crow. The application for ‘Shri Ram’ included a photo of the deity, listed his father’s name as Dashrath, his mother’s name as Kaushalya, and gave his village as Ayodhya, all references from the Ramayana. However, instead of Uttar Pradesh, the district was listed as Khagaria in Bihar. The mobile number used in the form was a fake one: 9999999999.
A similar application in the name of ‘Srimati Mata Sita’ also used a photo of Goddess Sita and listed her parents as Raja Janak and Rani Sunaina, giving Ayodhya in Khagaria as her address and using the same dummy mobile number. In another case at the Khagaria Sadar office, an online application was filed under the name ‘Kauwwa’ (crow), with a photo of a real crow. The applicant's father and mother were listed as Kawwa Singh and Maina Singh, respectively. This application, submitted in December last year, led to a formal complaint now.
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In yet another startling case from Khagaria, a residence certificate was issued in the name of ‘Dog Babu’, with a smiling photo of a Golden Retriever attached. Although the certificate was cancelled within minutes, a deeper probe revealed that the application was linked to legitimate documents, including Aadhaar, belonging to a woman from Delhi—indicating a possible data breach or deliberate identity theft.
Meanwhile, in East Champaran, officials received an application featuring a photo of Bhojpuri film actress Monalisa, where the applicant’s name was listed as ‘Sonalika Tractor’, with parents named ‘Swaraj Tractor’ and ‘Car Devi’. Yet another case from Jehanabad district involved an application for an income certificate under the name ‘Samsung’, with the father listed as ‘Iphoan’ and the mother as ‘Smartphoan’.
Opposition has come down heavily on the ruling NDA government of Bihar amid these incidents. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra mocked the Election Commission over the election roll revision drive, and called it ‘nothing but an exercise in mass disenfranchisement’. She also claimed 65 lakh voters had been deleted without proper discussion. Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala shared a news clip on social media that falsely claimed a certificate had been issued to the Trump application and said that electoral roll revision in Bihar is a ‘fraud, aimed at stealing votes.’
Despite the discrepancies, as per reports, not a single political party has gone to EC’s Bihar unit to file a claim or an objection against any of the entries made in the draft voter list. As per data released by EC till 11 am on August 7, 5,015 objections were made by voters, but none by the 1,60,000 booth-level agents of political parties.
