On 16 January, an Airtel Network user, Priya Raina Dhadheech, went to an Airtel outlet to connect her cellphone number to her Aadhaar number. To her shock and dismay, she found that nine cellphone numbers – not owned by her – were already linked to her Aadhaar number. Since none of the Airtel employees present at the outlet could resolve her issue, she left the place hassled, and tweeted to Airtel and the UIDAI.
Within two days her tweet went viral. People from UIDAI and Airtel contacted her on Twitter and assured her that they will solve the problem. Later, Priya claimed Airtel told her that it was a software glitch.
However, when contacted, in an email reply to The Quint, Airtel said “there is no case of nine mobile numbers being linked” to Priya’s Aadhaar. The company also claimed that the “matter has been twisted into a conspiracy theory and unnecessary confusion has been created on the basis of half-baked information.”
After waiting for eight days (23 January), Priya once again went to the Airtel outlet to link her mobile number with aadhar. And this time she was successful.
In an interview to The Quint, Priya narrated her worries.
‘Shocked that 9 Unknown Phone Numbers Were Linked to My Aadhaar’
I went to the Airtel outlet in Mayur Vihar (in Delhi). I had my Aadhaar card – original as well the photocopy – with me. They (Airtel employee) asked for my details, the biometric was also done and they said, ‘ya mam, it is now done’. So as I was getting up, I saw this girl calling the supervisor. She said, ‘Sir please come, some message has surfaced (in her account).’ I also peeped in, it showed that nine connections are attached to this Aadhaar; I saw it on the display, all three of us read the display message. That person then told me that, ‘ma’am, you already have nine connections on this Aadhaar.’ I was shocked because I didn’t have this information and nine connections were obviously very shocking to me. I immediately said, ‘I have only one connection, then how come the system is showing nine?’ The Airtel employee said it could possibly be a Vodafone connection. I said it cannot be, I asked him if they have the same depository, which he couldn’t answer. I had no idea what was happening. I was hassled and left the centre.
‘Airtel Assured Me That They Will Resolve the Issue’
Later, they (Airtel) told me that they will look into the matter, and that it is their top priority. They said, “we are from the Gurgaon office of Airtel (headquarter). Don’t worry nothing will happen to your connection.” When I said I’d take this up with the police, they got scared.
Reporter: Did Airtel say that it was a technical glitch?
First, I said, “do you agree that the message, which showed (on the Airtel system) that nine connections are linked to my Aadhaar, is valid?” He said, “yeah, we agree that message came, it is not an Aadhaar or UIDAI issue, it is our issue and we are looking into the matter. There is some software error message that appeared.”
Here is the full text of Airtel’s reply to The Quint.
We are surprised at the way this particular matter has been twisted into a conspiracy theory and unnecessary confusion has been created on the basis of half-baked information. All this despite our public (twitter) response to the customer clarifying that there is absolutely no such issue. For the record (once again), no Airtel mobile number was ever re-verified using the customer’s Aadhaar. There is no case of nine mobile numbers being linked to or re-verified using the customer’s Aadhaar. Most importantly, the customer has confirmed today that she has successfully re-verified her Airtel mobile number through Aadhaar for the first time by visiting an Airtel store.
On Airtel’s reply, Priya said that the company had earlier acknowledged the problem and promised to resolve it.
Airtel always said ‘looking into the matter’, they never said ‘there is no such issue.’Priya Raina Dhadheech, Complainant
‘I Still Don’t Know How Many Cellphones Were Or Are Linked to My Aadhaar’
Around noon (23 January) I went to one of the Airtel outlets in Noida, I thought let me try again and I was successful this time. At that point of time I asked them, “okay! it is now linked but is there any procedure, is there any way, that you can show me the database because I want to check whether any other phone number is linked to my Aadhaar.” People at the showroom said, “We can’t give you that data, it is not with us, you have to write a separate email to Airtel. It is a back-end thing and you will come to know via email.” Even now I don’t know if six connections can be accepted by Airtel, neither do I know if I am the first or the sixth. The fact that I was successful (in linking to Aadhaar) means I could be the first, or second or sixth.
‘I Am Waiting for a Satisfactory Reply from Airtel’
If Airtel is saying that it was a software glitch, and give me in writing that there was never any cellphone number (linked) with my Aadhaar; if they state that it was pure software error and they assure (in writing) that my cellphone number is the only number linked to my Aadhaar, maybe then I’ll be satisfied for now. I don’t know what’s happening. I can’t check their database. I was thinking of going to the police but right now I am still thinking. Even Airtel’s service team is yet to get in touch with me with a satisfactory reply.
Priya’s cellphone is now connected to her Aadhaar but she is worried whether her number is now connected to the earlier-linked random cellphone numbers. What’s more, she remains confused about who linked these numbers and how.
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