Name In Ration Card Spelt “Kutta”, Man Barks Like Dog In Protest

Kolkata:

A man barking like a dog, pushing in a sheaf of papers through the window of a car marked “Executive Magistrate”. The unrelenting barks and yowls continue till the official takes note of the paper. The video from in Bengal’s Bankura — filmed at the state government’s Duarey Sarkar (government at the doorstep) camp — has gone viral.

The man said his name on his ration card was misprinted — not once, but thrice. The third time, instead of Srikanti Kumar Dutta, it read Srikanti Kumar “Kutta”. “Kutta” in Hindi means dog and Mr Dutta said he came up with this novel protest to effect a correction after his pleas were ignored.

The Bankura district authorities have not responded on the matter so far.

“I applied thrice already to rectify my name in the ration card,” Mr Dutta told reporters.

“The first time, they mentioned my name as Srikanta Mondal. I am not Mondal. I went to Duarey Sarkar and applied for rectification. Then they made my name Srikanto Dutta instead of Srikanti Kumar Dutta. I applied to Duarey Sarkar camp again… On the 11th, I applied again and when I downloaded it, I noticed my name was changed to Srikanti Kumar Kutta. When I saw this, I felt mentally harassed. I went to the Duarey Sarkar camp again yesterday,” he said.

At the camp he saw a senior official, but even when he chased him down, the interview did not go as expected, Mr Dutta said.

“I showed him my ration card. I asked him to read it. But the Joint BDO (Block Development Officer) did not answer my questions.  He ran away. Why did he run? What was he scared of? How many times will a common man like me go to the Duarey Sarkar camp? We have to stop work for a day and come here,” Mr Dutta added.

After this, he engaged in the stunt. The authorities have now assured him that his name will be rectified in two days, he said.