SAMBALPUR: The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has ordered an inquiry into discrepancies in the identity and parentage records of 18-year-old Gangadhar Meher University student Karan Ekka since the inconsistencies may have deprived the orphan of scholarships and other welfare benefits.
Acting on Karan’s complaint, the commission has directed the Sundargarh collector to conduct a detailed inquiry through the district child protection officer (DCPO) and submit a report by September 1.
The OHRC has sought an explanation for how Karan’s identity came to be recorded differently in various official documents and whether lapses in record-keeping by child-care institutions and authorities resulted in denial of his entitlements.
The inquiry will examine his original admission records, case history and institutional documents, besides the circumstances of his admission to and transfer between child-care institutions. The administration has also been asked to ascertain how Muna/Munna Ekka and Kan Ekka came to be recorded as his parents in school and child-care records.
The commission has specifically sought details of how the name of P K Senapati, then superintendent of CCI Sishubhawan, came to be recorded as Karan’s father in his Aadhaar. It has asked whether any authority furnished or certified the details and whether any inquiry was conducted to establish his biological parentage or legal status as an orphan or child without known parents.
The probe will also examine Karan’s exit from the child-care institution after Class X, the failure to issue him an orphan certificate and the authority competent to issue one. The OHRC has sought details of his Green Passage/Green Pass certificate and benefits, as well as his disability certificate and eligibility for educational, hostel, scholarship and other welfare schemes.
Importantly, the commission has asked whether the discrepancies in his records led to denial of any statutory or welfare benefit and what corrective measures have been taken to ensure that Karan does not lose entitlements because of errors in records maintained by government agencies or child-care institutions.
Records of Sarbabhoutik Child Care Institution, CCI Sishubhawan and Adruta CCI, along with relevant school and DCPO records, will be examined. The concerned CCI superintendents have been directed to cooperate with the inquiry and remain present before the commission on the next date.
The OHRC has also directed that no adverse action be taken against Karan for pursuing his grievance before the commission.
Karan, a Plus III student at Gangadhar Meher University, grew up in child-care institutions without knowing his biological parents. His Aadhaar, prepared during childhood, carries the name of a former CCI superintendent as his father, while his matriculation certificate records different names as his parents.
The conflicting records have prevented him from accessing a scholarship and other welfare benefits. His attempt to have the Aadhaar details corrected reportedly ran into another hurdle when he was asked to produce a residential certificate, leaving the orphan caught in a maze of inconsistent official records.
