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AHMEDABAD: A plea to renounce religion by a city-based auto-rickshaw driver has been junked by Ahmedabad district collectorate stating that there is no such provision under law though which one can embrace secularism or atheism.

“As per conversion law-2003, there is a provision to change the religion only, but there is no such provision through which one can embrace secularism or atheism,” a reply from the Ahmedabad collectorate said.

The auto-rickshaw driver - Rajveer Upadhyay , who wanted to be known in government document as 'RV155677820', said that he received the letter from the district collectorate last month which stated that his plea has been rejected. He said that he will approach the court to add provision to include atheism in the conversion law.

Upadhyay (33), from Chandkheda area of Ahmedabad, had first filed a plea before the district collector in 2015, sending a clueless collectorate into a tizzy on how to deal with his application.

RV is short for Rajveer and the rest is his enrolment number on his school leaving certificate. Upadhyay, who is pursuing a postgraduate degree in clinical psychology, said he has been influenced by the rationalists' movements across the world.

He reiterated his plea and followed it up with a Right to Information application to know the status in April this year.

"Nobody needs to necessarily follow a religion in this world, so you please declare me an atheist or secular . After you declare me an atheist, I want to be renamed as RV155677820 in government documents like election card (voter ID), college degree, PAN card and Aadhaar card," he added.

Upadhyay told TOI, "I was born a Garo Brahmin , a scheduled caste. Since childhood, I used to witness various forms of discrimination and superstition in the name of religion and caste."

