BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has blown the whistle on a massive fake birth certificate scam in Maharashtra, pointing fingers at how changes to the law let thousands of undocumented foreign nationals—mostly Bangladeshi Muslims—grab phony documents and even Aadhaar cards.
In a chat with , Somaiya explained the issue straight up. “Back in 2024, the Indian government switched things around, giving tehsildars the power that used to belong to judicial magistrates. That’s when this nationwide scam kicked off. Here in Maharashtra, officials greenlit birth certificates for 224,000 people. But when we dug in, 97% turned out to be Muslims with Bangladeshi roots—folks in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s—who had zero proof they were born in Maharashtra or anywhere in India.”
Somaiya says the Maharashtra government is cracking down hard. They’ve filed 28 FIRs so far, nabbed 2,000 suspects, and aim to arrest another 3,000 soon. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has already wiped out thousands of those shady Aadhaar cards after spotting the fakes.
He’s especially worried about Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants slipping through the cracks. Somaiya wants the state to boot out anyone without legit papers or proof of Indian citizenship. He even wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, pushing for tough moves against 47,000 people whose birth certificates and Aadhaar cards got issued without checks. “These folks are from Bangladesh or Rohingya communities—they need to go, and fast,” Somaiya urged.
Take Malegaon, for instance. Authorities there scrapped birth entries for 3,977 people because they couldn’t back up their claims with any documents. Five FIRs are in play, and 539 suspects—including 28 government officials and a bunch of agents—have faced court. Probes are still rolling on 1,539 more individuals.
Over in Sambhajinagar, tips came in about 800 people, with 140 already hauled into court. The scam’s now hitting Mumbai too, especially the Mankhurd neighborhood. “The tehsildar and district officer only okayed residency for three people,” Somaiya claimed, “but a crooked BMC officer handed out docs to 106 anyway.”
Thanks to the tough stance in 2024, birth certificate requests in 2025 have plummeted—from 224,000 down to just around 2,000. Somaiya gives Maharashtra props for leading the charge. “Central officials are nodding along, saying the state has put this fake birth certificate issue on the national map. Just like we canceled 47,000 bogus cases here, other states are following suit.”
He couldn’t resist a jab at politics either, comparing Fadnavis’ people-focused programs to what he calls the corrupt mess under former CM Uddhav Thackeray. “Thackeray’s schemes were all about lining his own pockets and his crew’s. But Fadnavis? He’s out there helping ‘Ladli Behna’ women with real support,” Somaiya said.
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