Shimla, Oct 28, 2020
State Police which have to move from post to pillar to identify the unknown deceased being recovered on the day to day basis seek the assistance of Unique Identification Authority of India (uidai) to allow them limited access of data base of UIDAI established under this scheme. In a letter sent to UIDAI chief Executive Officer Punkaj Kumar, Director General of state Police Sanjay Kundu sought this assistance to sort out the lost and found issues of the unidentified deceased taking long time for the police forcing them to keep the bodies inside the State Mortuaries for three days.
Kundu said that access of data would also speed up to tracing out missing people and women in the state where such investigations have remained pending for long time.
It seemed to be first time when any state police sought limited access to the database of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for the purpose of establishing the identity of unidentified dead bodies as the Court allow access of UIDAI for the state run scheme which benefit the beneficiaries only. DGP claimed in the letter sent on Tuesday to UIDAI that around a hundred unidentified dead bodies are found in the state each year, and if the biometrics of these bodies are allowed to be matched with the UIDAI database, it may help identify them and hand them over to the next of kin for performing last rites.
Kundu said that beside the deceased, data access of UIDAI also helps to identify the mentally ill people who cannot not be identified due to their disability and illness and thus are forced to lead the life of vagabond due to un-traceability of their whereabouts.
“Dignity of an individual extends right upto the last rites,” wrote Kundu, adding that if a mechanism is worked out for identifying dead bodies in this way, it will provide a much-needed closure for the families of the deceased.
