Even death does not deter bribe-takers
Only the worst sort of human being refuses to be stirred even in the face of death. Unfortunately, some employees in the sub-registrar offices across the country, which fall within the ambit of Municipal Corporations come under this bracket. The calamity that befalls anyone is just an opportunity for these individuals to rake in money.
This grief-filled account by one of our respondents, who did not give his or her hometown, is one such instance. This individual had to shell out Rs 10,000 to procure the death certificate of his mother. In addition to that the person and his or her siblings had to pay more money to prove they were the children of the deceased. “Heartless people with no shame and decency” – this is how the sufferer describes them in this cry of agony that he posted on our portal.
Another such painful episode has been expressed by the child of an army man. The father, was a retired Major in the Indian Army, who fought in the 1971 Bangladesh War and even got a commendation letter from the President. The son or daughter was asked by the Municipal Office to come the following day on every visit to the corporation office for the death certificate. Finally, they were told to handover Rs 500 as bribe and get the certificate. “If this is what happens to a person who served the nation, then this is pathetic,” the individual says. In another such incident, the concerned individual paid upto Rs 3,500 as bribe at the doorstep of the official at the municipal office and the death certificate was issued a week after the death took place.
This is doubly tragic for the affected family and akin to rubbing salt on one’s wound. At such inconsolable moments, the grief and helplessness experienced just gets magnified due to such heartless bribe-takers.