Aadhaar Needed For Last Rites In Mysuru

Even death, it seems, will not part a citizen and his Aadhaar. Crematoriums in the city are asking for Aadhaar details of the deceased to conduct last rites – mandatorily so if the person is young. Crematorium authorities say it will speed up paper work for the death certificate but some families say it is a hassle at a time of mourning.

Relatives and friends of a recently deceased man said Aadhaar details were sought in a form that is to be submitted at the time of final rites. Providing the Aadhaar number of the deceased person, crematorium staff said, would help the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) issue the death certificate at the earliest. They added that they were insisting on Aadhaar numbers only for those who died young; other documents were acceptable for senior citizens.

An employee of a private firm maintaining the city crematoriums told TOI, “Aadhaar is compulsory only for young people. We will mention the number in the application form issued to the relatives. If the deceased person is aged, we consider other documents,” he said.

 Residents said the practice had begun only a few days ago. “One of my friends who was aged 65 died last week. He was a bachelor. His sister who was staying with him wanted to cremate his body in the Hindu crematorium near Chamundi hills. The crematorium staff told her to bring his Aadhaar card along, saying it was compulsory. Fortunately, he had an Aadhaar card,” said Srikanta Bhat, a resident of Srirampura.

Several others too confirmed that they had submitted the Aadhaar number to conduct last rites. “We didn’t check if the Aadhaar number was mandatory. The staff requested us to mention the number and we did,” said Rajesh Rao, a resident of VV Puram who recently performed the final rites of his uncle in a crematorium.

Source: TOI