Falsely declared 'dead', man 'fights for life'
TIMES NEWS NETWORK 08.01.2025
Ganapati Khachu Kakatkar, a 62-year-old person from Savagaon village in Belagavi taluk, has been moving heaven and earth for the past 17 months, trying to prove he is alive, after being declared "dead" on govt records. Thanks to a clerical error, Ganapati was deprived of essential benefits, including old-age pension, subsidized foodgrains, crop-loss compensation, and assistance under the PM Kisan Fund. “I've suffered a lot because of this,” he lamented. Ganapati's ordeal began when his brothers applied for a succession certificate to claim their rights over a six-acre land left behind by their grandfather, Masanu Shattu Kakatkar, who had passed away in 1976. Before his death, Masanu had divided nine acres of land among his three sons. Over the years, Masanu's three sons also passed away, leaving his eight grandsons, including Ganapati, to claim the ancestral land.
The problem occurred when a computer operator at the Hindalga revenue inspector's office, while preparing Masanu's death certificate, mistook Ganapati's Aadhaar card number to be his late grandfather's and prepared a death certificate for a person who was still alive. As a result, not only was Ganapati's Aadhaar number locked, but his name also got deleted from his ration card — effectively rendering him 'dead' on govt records. Ganapati discovered the error only on Aug 3, 2023. After months of frustration, he approached deputy commissioner Mohammad Roshan on Monday, accompanied by his family and a lawyer. Upon hearing his plight, Roshan assured Ganapati that the issue would be resolved soon. He directed the assistant commissioner to take immediate remedial measures.
COSTLY CLERICAL ERROR
