Ranaghat: An emotionally-charged scene unfolded at the Ranaghat SDO office on Saturday during the first day of hearings under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process when a 28-year-old woman broke down in tears after being asked to furnish documents related to her biological father.
The woman, identified as Manu Mitra of Ranaghat, faced complications over her parentage details during the verification process. According to records, Manu was born in April 1997. Her birth certificate and school admission documents mention Prabir Das as her father. However, Manu and her mother's identity documents such as Aadhaar and voter ID were issued based on the credentials of her stepfather, Timir Ghosh Pal.
Family sources said that Manu's mother and her biological father, Das, had separated even before her birth. Officials reportedly asked her to submit documents pertaining to the father whose name appears on her birth certificate, including his death certificate. Das had passed away, but Manu stated that obtaining his death certificate after so many years was not feasible.
The issue became more complicated as Manu's mother's name did not figure in the 2002 electoral roll.
Officials refused to accept documents related to the stepfather during the hearing, insisting on verification linked to the biological father named in the birth certificate. Manu, who is now married and has changed her surname post-marriage, said the demand placed her under severe mental stress.