The then administrative officer of the Dhanusha District Administration Office has said the signature on the copy of Kantipur Media Group Chairman Kailash Sirohiya's citizenship certificate is authentic and his own.

Police on Tuesday arrested Sirohiya from his Kathmandu office and brought him to Janakpur for investigation based on a complaint filed by Indrajit Mahato, a cadre of Rastriya Swatantra Party of Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane. Mahato has accused Sirohiya of providing wrong information to obtain citizenship.

Sirohiya has been in judicial custody in Janakpur for the past six days.

On Saturday, police in Dhanusha interrogated Kashiraj Dahal, who was administrative officer in the district 24 years ago, on the issue. During the interrogation, Dahal said the sign on Sirohiya’s citizenship copy was his own and was issued based on the original document.

This happened as some people have questioned the authenticity of the signatory and other details of the citizenship document.

This clarifies a major point of confusion over the copy of the citizenship certificate obtained by Sirohiya in 2000.

Sirohiya, who obtained his citizenship by descent on September 10, 1979, obtained its duplicate copy from the administration on September 14, 2000. Dahal was the district administrative officer at the latter date and he had signed the copy of the citizenship.

As the police recorded his statement on Saturday, Dahal made it clear that he had signed and issued the citizenship copy. Dahal retired from the government service as joint secretary of the home ministry a few months ago.

Police arrested Sirohiya and started investigation stating that another person Shivaji Sahu Teli was also given a citizenship certificate with the same number.

“I issued the duplicate copy in the name of Kailash Sirohiya in September 2000, based on the original certificate issued earlier and the signature is mine,” he told the police during the interrogation, according to a source privy to the development.

Superintendent of Police Bhuwaneshwar Tiwari confirmed that they have recorded the then administrative officer Dahal's statement. However, he declined to give details. He asked the Post to contact the spokesperson of the district police office, DSP Ranjan Awale. The spokesperson, however, could not be reached.