Sambalpur: An 18-year-old orphaned student of Gangadhar Meher University in Sambalpur has approached the Odisha State Human Rights Commission seeking help to resolve long-standing discrepancies in his identity documents that have blocked him from scholarships, disability benefits and other government entitlements.
Karan Ekka, a Plus III second-year political science student admitted under the Green Passage scheme and staying in the university hostel, submitted a written complaint during a recent commission event on the campus. He told Justice Shatrughna Pujahari, the OHRC chairman, that a discrepancy between his Aadhaar card and academic records has prevented him from accessing the support he is eligible to receive.
Justice Pujahari heard the grievance in detail, described it as arising from a statutory lacuna in how an orphaned child’s identity was handled, and assured that the matter would be examined, a case registered, and appropriate assistance provided to establish his identity and secure the benefits he is entitled to.
Karan does not know his biological parents, his caste or any permanent family address. Brought to Rourkela Shishubhavan as an infant of five or six months, he grew up in successive childcare institutions, including Sarvabhuti Ashram and later Adruta Shishu Sadan in Sundargarh after the first facility closed. His Aadhaar card, issued while he was at Shishubhavan, lists the then superintendent P K Senapati as his father because parental details were unavailable. Years later, when his matriculation form was filled, allegedly without his knowledge, the names Muna Ekka and Kan Ekka appeared as parents and were carried forward onto his certificates.
Conflicting birth dates of March 10 2008 and July 2 2008 further complicate the records. The resulting mismatch has prevented him from claiming scholarships despite eligibility, disability support for his hearing impairment, and even opportunities such as representing the state cricket team.
After turning 18 in March, Karan tried to correct the documents himself at an Aadhaar enrolment centre but was asked for a residential certificate, an impossibility for someone who has never had a fixed home. He had earlier approached both the Sambalpur and Sundargarh administrations.
Officials in Sambalpur pointed to the childcare institutions being in Sundaragada. The Sundaragada collector assigned the case to the district child protection officer, yet no resolution followed. Sundargarh DCPO Sribanta Jena later said a special camp had been held last month to rectify such Aadhaar cases, but the boy could not be contacted despite efforts.
With no family support, Karan supports himself by giving tuition classes, occasionally receiving limited financial help from a local trust, while struggling to buy books and other essentials. Justice Pujahari has indicated the commission will direct departments and institutions concerned to inquire into the facts and correct the records in accordance with law so that Karan can finally access the entitlements long denied to him.
