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Pak woman’s teacher job in UP: Selection board, verification lapses under cops’ scanner
Police registered a case in Rampur on Jan 6 against Mahira Akhtar, who allegedly secured a govt teaching job in 1992 using forged documents while concealing her Pakistani citizenship
LUCKNOW The probe into the appointment of a suspected Pakistani national as an assistant teacher in UP’s Basic Education Department has widened, with the police examining forged documents, lapses in certificate verification and the role of officials involved in the recruitment process.
Acting on government orders, the police registered a case on January 6 at Azimnagar police station in Rampur against Mahira Akhtar alias Farzana, who allegedly secured a government teaching job in 1992 using forged documents while concealing her Pakistani citizenship. The case followed an internal inquiry by the basic education department.
SP (Rampur) Vidya Sagar Mishra said the department submitted documentary evidence, while digital records were also collected from the school where the woman was posted. Investigating officer Rajneesh Kumar confirmed the probe is under way.
However, officials said the investigation is no longer limited to the accused alone. Police are verifying whether mandatory checks on educational qualifications, citizenship status and background were carried out at the time of recruitment. The role of members of the selection board and the office of the then Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) is also under scrutiny.
Investigators suspect forgery at multiple stages, from submission of the application to verification of credentials and issuance of appointment letters. Records issued by the BSA’s office during the relevant period are being examined to determine how required procedures were allegedly bypassed.
According to case details, Mahira Akhtar, a resident of Rampur, married a Pakistani citizen in 1979 and later acquired Pakistani citizenship. After her divorce, she returned to India with her two daughters. Despite overstaying her visa, a case under the Foreigners Act was registered against her in 1983. Court records show she was directed to remain present during the trial.
However, while allegedly concealing her citizenship status, she secured a teaching job on January 22, 1992, and was posted at a primary school in Kumhariya Kala. She was later dismissed after the issue came to light.
The Rampur case has also drawn attention to a similar instance in Bareilly involving her daughter, Shumaila Khan, 44, who worked as an assistant teacher in a government primary school for over nine years before being terminated from service in October 2024.
Basic shiksha officials had earlier said Shumaila Khan, posted at Madhopur Primary School under Fatehganj West block, allegedly used a forged residential certificate issued from Rampur to secure the job during recruitment in 2015. The verification was initiated in May 2022 following a Local Intelligence Unit report, and the certificate was later found to be forged.
An FIR was subsequently lodged at Fatehganj West police station under IPC sections 419, 420, 467, 468 and 471. The case was registered under the old IPC as the alleged offences predated the enforcement of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on July 1, 2024.
“She claimed she was born in India, but no documentary proof has been submitted so far. Legal opinion will be sought once records are examined,” a police officer said.
