A rare incident was reported in Haryana's Rohtak recently when a 102-year-old man carried out a rather unique procession in a wedding chariot with high tempo music to prove to the state government that he is alive as he was announced dead in records and his old-age pension was stopped, news agency PTI reported. Duli Chand, who is a resident of Gandhra village in Rohtak district, was seen wearing garlands of notes, as is wore by a groom in weddings, and took out the procession from Mansarovar Park to Canal rest house in Rohtak city.
The wedding procession was taken out by Duli and his supporters in order to clarify it to the authorities that he is alive and get his pension restored. The man's pension was stopped in March this year.
Duli Chand and his supporters took out the procession carrying placards on the way to the government office with one of them reading "thara fufa zinda hai" (Your uncle is still alive)'.
At the end of his glorious ride, Duli Chand, and Jaihind, met former minister and BJP leader Manish Grover and sought restoration of his pension, showing the politician his papers and proofs that he is alive.
Meanwhile, former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Haryana Unit Chief Naveen Jaihind also supported Duli and said that he was shown as 'dead' in the government records and his old-age pension was stopped.
Jaihind even accompanied Juli in the procession and said that centenarian is alive and he has his Aadhaar card, family ID, and bank statements to prove it.
A similar incident took place in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur earlier this week when a 70-year-old man was decalred dead in government records and his pension was stopped. Om Prakash, a resident of Fatehpur village, was even not able to withdraw money from his bank account and he was declared dead a year ago.
"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," PTI quoted Prakash as telling senior officials
A government official was even suspended after a report by the tehsildar found "gross laxity" on his part.