Boy applies for birth certificate, gets one for death

In a bizarre case, a 13-year-old boy who applied for birth certificate has been given one for death by the city corporation in Thiruvananthapuram.

Civic authorities said the bungle was a clerical error and steps have been taken to issue the corrected certificate.

A sixth standard student, K Muhammad, recently applied for a birth certificate from a government hospital in the city where he was born in 1997, the family said.

When he received the document, Muhammad and his family members were shocked to see the form, in which the vital details were given, stated he died the day he was born.

Asked about the goof up, a senior corporation official said it was the result of a 'clerical oversight' as the section dealing with the birth and death registration was overburdened with applications. 

"On an average we receive 3,000 applications a day for various purposes including birth and death certificates. Recently there was a spurt in requests for birth certificates since it was required for issuing Unique ID cards by schools," the official said.

However, remedial steps would be taken on a priority basis, he added.