In a bizarre and tragic turn of events, a clerical error at a local revenue office has plunged a 62-year-old man into a 17-month-long nightmare. Ganapati Khachu Kakatkar, a resident of Savgaon village in Belagavi taluk, has been fighting tirelessly to prove he is alive after being mistakenly declared “dead” by the authorities.
The ordeal began when Ganapati and his brothers applied for a succession certificate to claim rights over 6 acres and 23 guntas of land left behind by their late grandfather, Masanu Shattu Kakatkar, who passed away on February 2, 1976. Before his death, Masanu had divided nine acres of land each among his three sons, retaining a portion for himself. Over the years, Masanu’s three sons also passed away, leaving his eight grandsons, including Ganapati, to claim the remaining land.
When the family approached the tahsildar’s office to obtain Masanu’s death certificate, they encountered procedural hurdles. They eventually petitioned the Fourth JMFC Court in Belagavi, which directed the tahsildar’s office to issue the certificate.
The problem escalated when a computer operator at the Hindalga revenue inspector’s office prepared the death certificate. Mistaking Ganapati’s Aadhaar card number for his late grandfather’s, the operator printed it on the death certificate. This error not only locked Ganapati’s Aadhaar number but also deleted his name from the ration card, effectively rendering him “not alive” in government records.
Ganapati discovered the error on August 3, 2023, and has since been on a relentless quest to correct it. Despite visiting various local offices, including the tahsildar’s office, he was met with indifference and no resolution.
This bureaucratic blunder has left Ganapati in a dire situation. He has been deprived of essential benefits, including old-age pensions, food grains, crop-loss compensation, and assistance under the PM Kisan Fund. “I have suffered a lot because of this mistake,” Ganapati lamented.
After months of frustration, Ganapati approached Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Roshan on January 6, 2025, accompanied by his family and legal counsel. Upon hearing his plight, Roshan assured Ganapati that the issue would be resolved soon and directed the assistant commissioner to take immediate action.
As Ganapati waits for his identity to be restored, his story highlights the devastating consequences of clerical errors and the apathy of officials in addressing them. For now, this 62-year-old man fights not just for land rights but for the basic recognition of being alive.