Raipur (Chhattisgarh): An interesting case got highlighted in the Durg district that a young man, born as Hindu got his name in the Aadhar card as Muslim, and to reclaim his identity as a Hindu, he has been making rounds about the government offices for the last two years, but the problem is yet to be resolved.
He claimed that his father is a Brahmin and his mother a Muslim. Initially educated under the name Sonu Tiwari, his name was changed to Phiroj Ansari on his Aadhaar card after his father was imprisoned. Now, he is seeking to revert to his original name in official documents.
Phiroj Ansari, also known as Sonu Tiwari, continuously fought for the past two years to regain his Hindu identity and Brahmin caste. He believes that, due to his father's background, his rightful identity should reflect his Hindu heritage.
While speaking to the media, he revealed that his father, Shivkumar Tiwari, was unstable and had a history of crime records. It often resulted in long term unemployment.
He further said, his father had a love marriage with Parveen Bano, but the marriage remained short lived because his father Shivkumar never brought Parveen to his mother to his home, remained unemployed for a longer period and his illegal activities often puts him on police radar, resulting in an unstable life. However, in his primary school record his name was Sonu Tiwari.
While Sonu was attending school, his father was jailed. Following this, his mother moved in with her brother, along with Sonu. The imprisonment of his father angered her mother and she colluded with her brother and changed his name to Phiroj Ansari on his Aadhaar card and listed his father as Raju Ansari.
Phiroj insists that Raju Ansari is not his father’s name and that neither he nor his mother knows anyone by that name. His uncle also altered his name to Phiroj Ansari on his driving license and other documents. Now, Firoz is fighting to establish his true identity.
He has appealed to the Collector and the SDM’s office to have his name changed back on his Aadhaar card. His mother, Parveen Bano, has written a consent letter affirming that Sonu is indeed the son of Shivkumar Tiwari and that he wishes to revert to Hinduism, with her expressing no objections to the change.
Phiroj also has a brother who has adopted the Muslim faith. He previously submitted an application to then-SDM Mukesh Rathore regarding his name change.
In response, SDM Mukesh Raothore, while speaking to media stated that the matter would be investigated and that if the individual's name is documented as Sonu Tiwari anywhere in school or in family records, then making changes in the certificate can be allowed.
