VARANASI: Sixty-three years old Lal
Bihari 'Mritak', a native of
Azamgarh who managed to come 'alive' in revenue records after a long struggle, is still awaiting a compensation for his lost years after filing a claim of Rs 25 crores in
Allahabad High Court against the state government in 1994.
In the latest turn of events, Lal Bihari has alleged that the Azamgarh district administration diluted his compensation claim by filing an FIR against two persons on February 5 for getting his land transferred in their names while sparing the erring government staff.
"The district administration is trying to convert the compensation suit into a land dispute case. The high court had summoned the Azamgarh district magistrate on January 19 and directed him to take necessary action against those involved in declaring Lal Bihari dead. However, FIR was lodged against two persons only for occupying his land while the government staff was spared," Lal Bihari's lawyer
K K Pal said.
Azamgarh district magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh declined any comment on the issue saying the matter is sub-judice.
"The court has also sought a 1996 report on the basis of which Lal Biharai was declared dead in revenue records. The name of the employees involved in pronouncing him dead should also be mentioned in the FIR," Pal said and added that the next hearing of the case in on February 19.
Lal Bihari said the FIR was lodged at
Azamgarh Kotwali against his kin Babu Ram and Pati Ram. "Filing FIR against these two persons, who were given my land, will only cause personal enmity. I am not fighting to get my land back, but for compensation from the state government for the years I lived as a 'dead' man due to the mistake committed by government employees. I have toiled hard for 18 years to prove that I am alive," Lal Bihari told TOI. Lal Bihari was 21 when he was declared dead in revenue records on July 30, 1976, allegedly at the behest of his relatives who wanted to usurp his property.
Since then, he has done all that he could possibly do - from fighting presidential election to kidnapping a child - to enter into government records. He also formed a Mritak Sangh (association of dead) of people like him to fight for their cause. After a struggle of 18 years, he was declared alive on June 30, 1994.
