‘Dead’ man comes alive, life in danger! Read the whole story

Varanasi: This is a tale of enduring struggle, one that seems unending. Lal Bihari remained officially deceased in revenue records for 19 long years, and only after a protracted legal battle, was he able to have his existence recognized.

Yet, he now faces a new threat to his life, as he must fight for the lives of countless individuals who are alive in reality but deemed deceased in official government records. Lal Bihari, owing to the dangers he encounters in his battle for these individuals, has applied for a license to possess a prohibited AK-47 rifle, citing concerns for his safety.

In his plea, Lal Bihari has appealed to the Chief Secretary for permission to obtain an AK-47 rifle license, stating, “I am in danger due to my efforts on behalf of numerous individuals who are alive but officially considered deceased in government records. I myself was once officially declared dead.”

He has written to the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh seeking permission for this restricted firearm. In India, civilians are generally not permitted to possess a licensed AK-47 rifle, as it is typically reserved for special forces. In response, Lal Bihari remarked, “I understand that this advanced firearm is typically prohibited for the general public, but it can be granted to the ‘Mritak’ (the deceased).” Notably, Lal Bihari was declared ‘dead’ in official revenue records from 1975 to 1994. He waged a 19-year battle against bureaucracy to establish his existence and rectify this status.

During this period, he added ‘Mritak’ (deceased) to his name and founded the Mritak Sangh to bring attention to the predicament of individuals wrongly declared deceased in collusion with government officials aiming to seize their properties.

Upon applying for a bank loan, he discovered his official ‘dead’ status in the revenue records. His uncle had bribed an official to falsely register him as deceased, subsequently transferring ownership of his ancestral land in his name. Throughout his struggle to expose record manipulation and draw attention to his plight, Bihari employed unconventional methods.

He even orchestrated his own funeral and sought a widow’s pension for his wife. He even contested elections to substantiate his existence. Finally, in 1994, after a protracted legal battle, Lal Bihari succeeded in overturning his ‘dead’ status.

A biographical film titled ‘Kaagaz’ was produced by Satish Kaushik in 2021, with actor Pankaj Tripathi portraying Lal Bihari. The film delves into issues of corruption and systemic flaws and features Monal Gajjar, Meeta Vashishtha, Amar Upadhyay, and Satish Kaushik.

Lal Bihari had also sought compensation for his years of struggle, but the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court rejected his plea, which sought Rs 25 crore in compensation from the government for the time he was officially declared ‘dead.’ Additionally, the court imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him for what it deemed to be a misuse of its time.