Then when he tried to transfer the plot to his son in 2013, officials told him he was classed as dead and his brother was the sole owner.
“It was a shock, even more so when I came to know about my brother’s role,” he said.
– ‘Never even born’ –
Jagdish Prasad Gupta, 52, is having to battle to prove that he has ever existed.
“The records say I was never born because my father died as a child,” Gupta, who runs a sweet shop, told AFP.
The revenue office ruled back in 1997 that he did not exist as it turned a plot of land he inherited in another Uttar Pradesh district over to a female relative whom he suspects bribed officials.
While that decision was later overturned in 2002, he was again declared as “non-existent” the following year.
Gupta says he is not that bothered about the land but wants to put the record straight so his own children don’t run into bureaucratic problems.
“My children and my existence is directly linked to my father’s existence. I am not fighting for myself but for my future generations,” Gupta told AFP.
Mohammad Arshad, a sociologist at Uttar Pradesh’s Institute of Social Sciences, says a craving for land is the main factor behind the scams.
The rapid urbanisation of India, coupled with the growth in population which now stands at around 1.25 billion, means some people are so desperate to get hold of land they will betray their own flesh and blood.
“With land, you can attract business partners and make matrimonial alliances for yourself and your children,” said Arshad.
“Land makes the difference here.”
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