Fraud in WBSSC Recruitment! Over 300 Fake Candidates Caught During Teacher Recruitment Verification, Strong Action by Commission

WBSSC Recruitment: Shocking details have emerged from the teacher recruitment process for classes 11th and 12th conducting by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). During the document verification phase that started on November 18, discrepancies were found in the applications of a large number of candidates within just four days. According to sources in the Education Department, by Saturday, more than 300 applicants have been identified who had submitted fake or incorrect information in hopes of securing a job. The Commission is taking a strict stance to maintain the transparency of the recruitment process.

Major Discrepancies and Fraud in Application Data

Preliminary investigations by the SSC have revealed that many candidates deliberately provided incorrect information in their application forms. These discrepancies were mainly observed in three key areas:

• Caste Certificate: Many candidates forged their caste certificates or provided wrong information.
• Exam Marks: Some candidates inflated their obtained marks to prove their eligibility.
• Work Experience: The most significant manipulation was noticed in the case of experience certificates.

An official from the Education Department, on condition of anonymity, stated, “It is not possible to say exactly how many people have applied with fake information right now. However, more than 300 candidates have been identified till Saturday. Various discrepancies were detected during their document verification.”

New Ploy of Fraud Regarding Experience Certificates

After the cancellation of the 2016 SSC panel, the State Government had announced a special provision for the ‘qualified’ candidates who lost their jobs and participated in the recruitment process again this time. It was decided to award them an additional 10 marks based on their past work experience. Many candidates resorted to major fraud specifically in this area.

According to the rules, to prove work experience in previous schools, a certificate written and signed on the Headmaster’s letterhead must be submitted. During the verification phase, it was found that the documents submitted by several candidates contained fake signatures of the Headmaster. This issue caused a stir as soon as it came to the notice of the Commission officials.

Reaction of Commission Chairman and Candidates

SSC Chairman Siddhartha Majumdar has given a clear message on this matter. He stated, “Many had submitted incorrect information during the online application. All that information is being verified. If the information is incorrect, they will automatically lose their eligibility. There will be no need to cancel everyone.” In other words, those who provided wrong information will be automatically disqualified from the recruitment process.

On the other hand, ‘untainted’ job-seeker Sumon Biswas raised questions about the Commission’s role in this incident. He said, “So many candidates applied with wrong information. The Commission should have been more careful during the form filling itself. However, our demand is that no ‘untainted’ candidate should be deprived.”

Current Status of Verification Process

Document verification for a total of six subjects was completed by Saturday. The subjects covered are listed below:

The verification for Science subjects is still pending. Experts believe that the number of these fake candidates is likely to increase further in the coming days once the verification for science subjects begins. The Commission is scrutinizing every application thoroughly so that no ineligible candidate gets an unfair advantage.