Death certificates set to be issued for 67 missing after last month’s Uttarkashi disaster

Sudden floods and debris slides struck the Uttarkashi village on August 5, leaving several trapped under the debris. Later, the district administration declared that 67 were missing and two bodies were retrieved. The government announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the kin of the deceased.

Normally, death registration is based on the report of persons mentioned under Section 8 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. However, as an exception in extraordinary circumstances, a death may also be registered based on the report of a public servant after proper verification.

The secretary has asked district magistrates to categorise the missing into three groups — permanent residents of Uttarkashi, residents of other districts of Uttarakhand who were present in the areas at the time of the disaster, tourists/persons from other states who were present at the time of the disaster.

For certificates of people from the first category, a close relative or legal heir of the missing person shall submit a notarised affidavit regarding the missing status and presumed death, along with an FIR or missing person report at the place of residence. A designated officer shall conduct a detailed investigation, and based on the investigation, the designated officer shall issue a provisional order of presumed death. The list will be published in newspapers, the gazette, and the government website, and objections can be filed within 30 days. If no claims or objections are received within the stipulated period, the designated officer shall issue the death certificate. In case someone objects, a senior officer (DM or ADM) will look into the matter.

If the missing person is from another district, the process will include a detailed verification, including through witness statements, mobile service provider call records, police reports, relief camp records, and affidavits from relatives.

If the victim is from another state, an investigation will be carried out similar to the others, and the home state’s designated officer shall forward the report to the designated officer of the affected area for further verification using all available information (witness statements, mobile call records, police reports, relief camp records, and affidavits).

The state had earlier written to the Centre seeking instructions on the matter, after which the latter sent a list of guidelines issued in 2021 for the registration of the death of missing people due to a calamity in February 2021 in Chamoli. In August 2013, two months after the Kedarnath floods, the state had sought guidelines for the registration of deaths of the thousands missing in the disaster.

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