Pakistani national worked as government school teacher for over three decades in UP, suspended on eve of retirement

Lucknow :In a startling revelation, a woman who served as a government primary school teacher for more than three decades in Uttar Pradesh has been suspended just before her retirement after police discovered that she is not an Indian citizen but a Pakistani national.

The incident has sent shockwaves through the education department and raised serious questions about document verification and national security lapses. The case has come to light from Azim Nagar in Rampur district, where the woman, identified as Mahira Akhtar alias Farzana, had been working at a government primary school for nearly 35 years.

Investigations have revealed that she allegedly secured the government job by submitting forged documents, despite never having obtained Indian citizenship. According to police officials, Mahira Akhtar married a Pakistani national in 1979 and subsequently moved to Lahore the same year.

She acquired Pakistani citizenship and lived in Pakistan for nearly six years. After divorcing her Pakistani husband, she returned to India in 1985. However, instead of applying for Indian citizenship through legal channels, she allegedly created fake documents to establish herself as an Indian national.

Police sources said Mahira Akhtar later managed to secure a teaching position at a government primary school in Kumharia village, under the Azim Nagar area. Since then, she continued in service uninterrupted for over three and a half decades and was nearing retirement when the case surfaced.

Despite lacking Indian citizenship, she reportedly possessed forged Indian documents, including a voter ID card, ration card and Aadhaar card, while also retaining Pakistani citizenship.

The matter came to light after a complaint was filed at the Azim Nagar police station, prompting a detailed investigation. During verification, police found discrepancies in her personal records and citizenship status. Further inquiries confirmed that Mahira Akhtar had never been granted Indian citizenship, making her appointment to a government post illegal.

A senior police officer said, “The investigation revealed that the accused returned to India after staying in Pakistan for several years and created forged documents to obtain a government job. This is a serious offence involving forgery, impersonation and violation of service rules.”

Following the findings, police have registered a case against Mahira Akhtar under sections 318(4), 336, 338 and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These sections relate to cheating, forgery, use of forged documents and false claims. Authorities are now examining how such forged documents went undetected for decades and whether there was any collusion or negligence on the part of officials.

As the investigation intensified, the education department suspended Mahira Akhtar from service with immediate effect. Officials said disciplinary proceedings would follow, based on the outcome of the police probe. “She was on the verge of retirement, but once the seriousness of the allegations became clear, suspension was inevitable,” a department official said.

The case has also raised suspicion about the credentials of other government employees appointed during the same period. Police have indicated that a broader verification drive may be launched to check whether similar fraudulent appointments have taken place in the past.

“This incident has exposed glaring loopholes in verification mechanisms. We are examining whether others have misused forged documents to enter government service,” a police official added.

The incident has sparked political and administrative debate, with calls for stricter background verification for government jobs, especially in sensitive sectors like education. As investigations continue, authorities are expected to trace how long Mahira Akhtar managed to evade scrutiny and who facilitated her prolonged service in a government institution despite her foreign nationality.

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