Declared dead 2 years ago, Karnataka mechanic struggles to prove he’s alive

Khan soon approached the Mandya city municipal council’s births and deaths section, where he was recorded to have died at the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS), the district general hospital, on October 19, 2024. His death certificate, issued on November 12, 2024, shows the death was registered the previous day.

“I earn Rs 400-500 and have four daughters who are studying. I went to the deputy commissioner’s office, police stations, and the MIMS, and none of them is responding properly,” he said.

Philips, an RTI activist who has been assisting Khan for more than a month, said, “There appears to be a nexus. I have done some investigation, and there are multiple cases like this. I will file a complaint with the director-general of police and submit supportive documents.”

‘Police refused to register case’

Khan says that when he tried to file a complaint, the police refused to register it, saying it did not fall under their jurisdiction.

Worn out by the runaround, Khan said, “I get no ration now and can’t do bank transactions. Wherever I go, they show me documents saying I am dead. When I ask officials for justice, nobody responds properly.”

Khan said he has a heart condition and that even carrying his ration card to a hospital has not helped him get treatment.

When indianexpress.com approached Shobharani V J, Superintendent of Police, Mandya, she said she was not aware of the matter and instructed Deputy Superintendent of Police Lakshminarayana Prasad to look into it.

Who died at MIMS on October 19, 2024?

MIMS medical superintendent Dr G Shivakumar told indianexpress.com, “Going by our records, a person named Shafi Mohammed was admitted to the hospital, and he died on October 19, 2024. Two days after his admission, he requested that his name be recorded as Shafiulla Khan. There was an Aadhaar card in the same name. After the death, the body was handed over to family members,” he added.

While Philips claimed that a postmortem was conducted on Mohammed, sources in MIMS denied it, stating that no postmortem was required as it was a natural death.

However, none of the officials indianexpress.com approached could ascertain the identity of the man who died on October 19, 2024.

Sources said the matter was discussed at a review meeting held by the Mandya deputy commissioner on Tuesday.