Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh): A shocking case has come to light in the Shahjahanpur district of Uttar Pradesh where the administration has certified children to be more than 100-year-old people. A secretary in the district administration, declared two children to be of 102 and 104 years and issued their birth certificates. This was done as the officer was refused a bribe of 500 rupees. The corruption prevention court has ordered a case to be registered against the village Secretary and the Village head. The district administration has also started an inquiry into the matter.
Family is in despair
The family is in a state of shock with their two children. Although the two children are aged, two and four, but the village Secretary has certified their age as 102 and 104 years on the birth certificate. As per the birth certificate, these two children are now the oldest persons in the entire tehsil.
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Secretary allegedly asked for bribe
Nanhe Lal, a resident of the Bela village under the Khutar police station, had two months ago applied for the birth certificates for his two sons aged two and four years, with the village Secretary and the Gram Pradhan. To issue the birth certificate, the village secretary, Sushil Chandra Agnihotri allegedly asked for bribe of 500 rupees. Nanhe Lal says, that when he refused to give the bribe, the secretary threatened to teach him a lesson.
…And he made a birth certificate of 102 and 104 years
Secretary registered the birth date of 4-year-old Shubh to be 13 June 1916 when his actual birth date was 13 June 2016. Whereas, the birth date of 2-year-old Ankit was 6 January 2018, which was registered as 6 January 1918. The family was left devastated after getting the certificate, as based on this certificate, the children were to be admitted in a good school. The family is forced to bear the brunt for not paying a bribe of 500 rupees.
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Complaint lodged with the Corruption Prevention Court
When the family complained to the village secretary and the Gram Pradhan, they were threatened and shooed away. The family approached the police and district administration, but it was also in vain. After this, the children’s uncle, Pawan, registered a complaint with the Corruption Prevention Court at Bareilly.
District administration gave clarification
The court took cognizance of the complaint and ordered the district police to register a case. As of now, the district administration has also swung into action. Although the district administration is saying, that the secretary issued the correct birth certificates, but the family had shown bogus certificates and lodged the complaint. The district administration maintains that if during the course of an investigation, the secretary and the Gram Pradhan are found to be guilty, strict action would be taken against them.
