Sepoy in Bhutan gets mother’s death certificate after Lokpal’s intervention

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 9

A sepoy of Chanalo village in Rupnagar, posted in Bhutan, received his mother’s death certificate following the intervention of Lokpal Justice Satish Kumar Mittal.

A news report said sepoy Kulbir Singh, who had come to his village on December 19, 2017, to perform the last rites of his mother Karnail Kaur, who had expired on December 7, 2017, was being denied her death certificate on flimsy grounds.

The report said when Kulbir Singh went to the Kurali MC office to get the death of his mother entered in the Municipal Council records, a clerk handed over a form to him. He was asked to submit the form along with a slip issued from the cremation ground.

The report further said the clerk told the sepoy to fill the form in English too when he again reached the MC office. The clerk also insisted that the papers should be attested from a Municipal Councillor, whereas the sepoy had got the documents attested from Municipal Council President Krishna Devi.

Referring to the report, Justice Mittal added that the sepoy told the media that the form filled by him was being returned by the MC office on flimsy grounds.

Taking cognisance of the newspaper report, the Lokpal had called for a factual report from the Kurali Municipal Council and had set a two-week deadline.

As the case came up for resumed hearing, Justice Mittal was told that Joint Registrar Sunil Kumar Chaudhary talked to the Executive Officer, Municipal Council, Kurali, who revealed that the MC had already issued the sepoy his mother’s death certificate.

Denied document on flimsy grounds 

Sepoy Kulbir Singh, resident of Chanalo village in Rupnagar, who had come to his village on December 19, 2017, to perform the last rites of his mother Karnail Kaur, who had expired on December 7, 2017, was being denied her death certificate on flimsy grounds.