Palakkad (Keralam) | A DYFI worker was booked for allegedly securing a temporary job at a grama panchayat by producing a fake degree certificate and working there for five years, police said on Saturday.

Vadakkenchery police registered a case against Ganapathy KV, a resident of Kizhakkegramam, Puducode, who was employed as an Account-cum-IT Assistant under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) at Puducode Grama Panchayat from July 2021 to July 2026.

He was a unit-level leader of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), which is associated with CPI(M).

According to police, the matter came to light after the panchayat decided not to renew his employment contract.

He challenged the decision in court and obtained a stay order.

However, the panchayat secretary became suspicious after examining his degree certificate and wrote to the University of Calicut seeking verification, police said.

The university confirmed that Ganapathy was its student but had not completed the course, police said.

Based on a complaint lodged by the panchayat secretary, the police registered a case under Sections 316(2), 318(4), 340, and 336(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to cheating, forgery, and using forged documents as genuine.

After the case was registered, Ganapathy went into hiding and a search is on to trace him, police said.

The CPI(M) and DYFI leaders said that action was taken against Ganapathy soon after the incident came to their notice, and he has been removed from the party.