Nearly 21 years after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Sriperumbudur, a 50-year-old woman claiming she was from Andhra Pradesh sought and received a copy of his death certificate from the registrar’s office. According to the buzz in local circles, she reportedly claimed she was Rajiv Gandhi’s wife.
In her application, the woman identified herself as Sabeena Feroz of Dada Saheb Street, in Hyderabad, sources said. But there appears to be no such street in Hyderabad, indicating the address may be ficticious.
She had on Thursday applied to the registrar office on Sriperumbudur-Tiruvallur Road for a copy of Rajiv Gandhi’s death certificate.
After processing the application, she got a copy of it on Friday.
Meanwhile, the buzz grew that while handing in her application at the registrar’s office, the woman had claimed that she was the wife of the late prime minister.
When reporters later asked registrar Ramalingam about the incident, he said he had issued the copy of the death certificate after getting permission from senior officials. The incident has left officials puzzled over the woman’s identity and intentions.
When Express contacted the registrar, he declined to speak on the issue.
“Anybody can ask for anyone’s death certificate. I am very upset and I don’t want to talk anything further,” he said.
The Sriperumbudur police, on their part, said, “We are not conducting any investigation. We have just heard about the incident. So far, we have not received any complaint.”