Azamgarh: He fought with the system for nearly two decades to prove himself alive in government records. But for Lal Bihari 'Mritak', who remained dead in government records for 19 years, it is back to square one as he fears for his life and has now demanded an AK 47 rifle from the Uttar Pradesh government. 'Mritak', who inspired the 2021 Bollywood film 'Kaagaz' starring Pankaj Tripathi has written a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary demanding an AK 47 rifle for his safety.
Mritak said that he feared for his life and others like him who have been declared dead in the government records by the mafia in a bid to usurp their property. In a special conversation with ETV Bharat, Lal Bihari Mritak said that he has demanded AK-47 for himself as well as for all the “dead” people in the documents.
“Because, for living people, licensed weapons are there. Therefore, the government should give at least one-47 to the dead, so that they can protect their life and property,” Lal Bihari Mritak said. He said his fight was with the “corrupt system” and not with the people. “Officers and employees together are exploiting the public. We have been fighting for long,” Mritak said.
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Lal Bihari Mritak said that he had come across reports that “murders are happening day in day out of the victims”. Lal Bihari was born on May 6, 1955 in Khalilabad village of Nizamabad tehsil. It is alleged that after his father's death, the village head in connivance with the tehsil level officials declared him dead to usurp his property.
Lal Bihari had to struggle by running from pillar to post to prove himself alive in government records. On June 30, 1994, Chief Revenue Officer and District Magistrate Azamgarh declared Lal Bihari alive in the government records after years of struggle. Lal Bihari adopted many tactics to declare himself alive as he also contested Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
He also formed a union “Mritak Sangh”, an association of victims like him. Hundreds of living dead were brought back to life on paper by the efforts of the union. Lal Bihari Mritak had also filed a petition in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court demanding Rs 25 crore in compensation from the government.
However the court rejected the plea and imposed Rs 10,000 fine on Lal Bihari Mritak for “wasting time of the court”.
