Mussoorie, Sept. 20 -- Uttarakhand health minister Subodh Uniyal has ordered an inquiry into allegations that fraudulent permanent residence and freedom fighter dependent certificates were used by candidates to secure admission to medical colleges, directing the Dehradun district magistrate to submit a report within a week. The inquiry was ordered after social activist Pradeep Bahuguna, son of late Padma Vibhushan Sunderlal Bahuguna, met Uniyal and submitted a list of 350 candidates, seeking verification of their documents and action against anyone who used fraudulent certificates. "The FIR has been lodged in some cases where the issue of fake freedom fighter certificates used by some candidates had come up and now, I have also directed the DM Dehradun to probe into the matter of fraudulent permanent residence certificates if used during admission, and the officials have been directed to submit the investigation within one week," Uniyal said. He said the alleged use of fraudulent permanent residence or freedom fighter dependent certificates was a grave concern and appeared to indicate the involvement of a large gang of fraudsters. Bahuguna alleged that a majority of candidates allotted state-quota seats had obtained permanent residence certificates online at the eleventh hour. He said more than 200 candidates who completed Classes 10 and 12 outside Uttarakhand reportedly had no native roots in the state and sought immediate verification. Following earlier directives, admissions under the Freedom Fighter quota in medical colleges in Srinagar, Haldwani, Haridwar and Dehradun were cancelled, leaving seven seats vacant, Bahuguna said. He also said the caste certificate of an SC candidate, Kusum Mal, was invalidated. The Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Uttarakhand Medical Education University has declared all Round-I and Round-II NEET UG 2026 state counselling admissions provisional, pending district-level document verification. Professor Vijay Juyal, member secretary of NEET UG 2026 at HNBUMU, said medical and dental colleges had been directed to send admitted students' domicile, category and sub-category documents to district authorities. "If any candidate's documentation is found to be invalid, incorrect, or failing to meet prescribed eligibility criteria upon scrutiny, their admission will be cancelled immediately," Juyal said. He said Round-III counselling would not be held until verification was completed. Bahuguna has sought re-verification of certificates issued over 20 years, calling the issue "the tip of the iceberg" of corruption in medical education. He cited three freedom fighter dependent certificates issued within two minutes on August 17, 2026, to candidates with different parentage but the same Dehradun address, alleging lapses in verification and selective FIRs....