Lucknow: Gonda police have registered an FIR against a man accused of using fabricated official designations and misusing the identity of Union minister Kirti Vardhan Singh to secure govt protocol and other benefits.The case was lodged at Mankapur Kotwali police station against Sarvesh Pathak, a resident of Motiganj, on a complaint filed by UP Singh, a representative of the minister, who handles the external affairs and environment, forest and climate change portfolios.According to the complaint, Pathak projected himself as vice-chairman of an environment, forest and climate change promotion unit under a purported ‘nature welfare department’ of the govt of India although no such department exists. He is also accused of using forged or misleading credentials to gain influence and derive political and personal benefits.Police said Pathak also introduced himself as national general secretary of the Bharatiya Shramik Kamgar Karmachari Mahasangh. . Using these designations, he is accused of writing to district magistrates, police chiefs and other officials and obtaining official protocol during public programmes and private events.The complaint further claims that at several plantation drives, display boards described Pathak as holding minister of state-equivalent rank, creating the impression that he enjoyed official status. It also alleges that he promoted these claims through social and print media while exploiting the Union minister’s identity.SHO Gaurav Singh Tomar said an FIR has been registered and police is examining the authenticity of the organisations, designations and whether any govt privileges were secured through misrepresentation.Pathak, however, denied the allegations, maintaining that the designations mentioned on his letterhead are genuine. He said his description as a minister on a display board during a plantation programme in Hardoi was an error by organisers, which he later asked them to rectify.
