Out of concern that the central government might soon start the process of creating a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC), former central information commissioner and Right to Information activist Shailesh Gandhi said he tried applying for his birth certificate at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) but failed at it since his birth was not listed in the BMC records, reported The Wire.
“My grandfather stayed in the Matunga area of Mumbai where I was born in 1947. Since I don’t have a birth certificate, I thought of procuring one as the government may start a nationwide NRC. I applied for one to the BMC. But it turns out that my birth was not recorded, ” he said.
Gandhi, who was born on 7 July 1947, received a one-page response from the BMC stating that “a search has been made on the request”, adding, that it “found that the event relating to the birth of Shailesh Gandhi, son of Ramkumar Bhagwandas Gandhi was not registered”.
In a recent article, Gandhi pointed said that “most people’s claim to citizenship arises from having been born in the country.”
“Additionally – at times – it is the birthplace of their parents and grandparents. This has to be established by documentation. That is the real snag.”Shailesh Gandhi
“It is likely that a significant percentage of India’s population will not be able to give any birth certificates, either because they did not obtain one or have lost it (I do not have my birth certificate). Aadhaar card or ration card cannot be the basis for accepting citizenship claims, ” he added.
(With the inputs from The Wire)
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