Patna: Love for dogs is fine, but issuing one a residence certificate may be considered stretching things a bit too far.
No, this has nothing to do with animal love. It has more to do with the callousness of authorities in Bihar who issues the certificate in the name of ‘Dog Babu’ with its father’s name mentioned as ‘Kutta Babu’.
This happened at a time when thousands in the state are applying for such certificates to get their names registered as voters by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The incident happened at Masaurhi near Patna. The document emerged from the RTPS (Right to Public Services) portal. The residence certificate has the photograph of the dog with the address mentioned as Kaulichak, Ward No. 15, Nagar Parishad Masaurhi. The mother’s name mentioned is ‘Kutti Devi’.
The certificate (No BRCCO/2025/15933581) carries the digital signature of revenue officer Murari Chauhan, confirming that the document is authentic and not a digitally altered hoax.
Officials are now trying to determine how such a certificate was generated. As digital signatures can only be accessed using a specific dongle assigned to the revenue officer, questions are being raised about whether the dongle was misused internally or if the RTPS system itself suffered a malfunction.
Preliminary checks have indicated that the certificate number is originally linked to a woman from Delhi. Her Aadhaar details and her husband’s ID were attached to the entry, pointing towards possible tampering or manipulation of uploaded documents.
Speaking to the media, Circle Officer Prabhat Ranjan called the incident a case of serious administrative misconduct, not a mere prank. “An investigation will determine how the dongle was misused. Action is certain against those involved, from the RTPS operator to revenue department staff,” he said, confirming that an FIR will be registered.
This is not an isolated case. In Munger, a residence certificate was issued to a ‘Sonalika tractor’. Social media users have reacted with humour, joking that if ‘Dog Babu’ can receive a valid certificate, ‘Batti Didi’ (electricity supply) might get a ration card next, and ‘Cow Mata’ a driving licence.
Many are now questioning the security and credibility of the RTPS portal, suggesting it might need a digital firewall or ‘anti-virus’, given its vulnerability to accepting false entries.