UP: Govt official suspended for declaring 70-year-old 'dead' in records

Shahjahanpur, Sep 6: A village development officer was suspended for declaring a 70-year-old man "dead" in government records here, an official said on Tuesday.

Om Prakash, a resident of Fatehpur village in Tilhar here, was declared dead in government records about a year ago due to which he could not get pension or withdraw money from bank, Chief Development officer (CDO) Shyam Bahadur Singh said.

After the matter came to light on Saturday, it was probed by Tehsildar Gyanendra Singh and his report found gross laxity on the part of village development officer Sumit Kumar, who had declared Prakash dead, the CDO said.

Following this Kumar was suspended, he said. Singh said a detailed probe against Kumar is on and death certificates issued by him are under scanner. "As I am dead in government records, I could not even withdraw money from the bank.

My cane crop is affected as I could not irrigate it due to lack of money. Now, nobody is helping me," Prakash had said in front of senior officials here on Saturday. He said about a year ago, he was declared dead in government records and when he went to withdraw pension meant for the elderly, he was told that he had died according to records. "I could not even withdraw money I got in my bank account from a sugar mill for my cane," he had said.