"I'm not dead yet!"

Two dozen people wrongly declared dead have held a Hindu last rites ceremony outside a state assembly this week to protest their plight. The campaigners, who call themselves 'The Living Dead' say they have lost their property to conniving relatives and officials. . .

"My son produced a fake death certificate to revenue officials and grabbed my 12 acres of property 10 years ago. The government still refuses to recognise me as alive," said Rashida Bibi, 62. "I had been certified a living person by my village head, but still the revenue officials refuse to recognise me as alive," she said.

"We have knocked on doors of government officials and police. No-one is ready to recognise us as living persons because revenue records declare us dead," said Lal Bihari, president of the Association of The Living Dead.

Mr Bihari's uncle reported him dead 18 years ago. Despite many public protests, he's been unable to reverse the declaration. He ran in two elections against Indian prime ministers - and appeared on the ballot - but says he still hasn't been able to get his property back.

There are 35,000 people in Uttar Pradesh state who been falsely declared dead, he said.

But how many will live to see it corrected? Bureaucracy at its finest. From Ananova.

Posted by David on August 1, 2003 4:02 PM