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BENGALURU: Make sure you have your Aadhaar card nearby before you breathe your last. For, staff at some BBMP crematoria and graveyards are insisting that Aadhaar of the dead be produced, if you have to be laid to rest.

However, the Supreme Court has made it clear that Aadhaar is mandatory only where citizens are availing benefits of government welfare schemes.

Last week, Rajesh K (name changed), a resident of Vijayanagar, lost his 75-year-old aunt. When the grieving family took the body to Sumanahalli crematorium, Outer Ring Road, for the last rites, they were in for a rude shock. “The staff there said the slot had to be booked online and insisted that we produce my aunt’s Aadhaar card and that too the original,” he told TOI.

“Amid all the grief, their demand stumped us. My aunt’s Aadhaar card was missing and we didn’t have its photocopy either. We went to a nearby cyber café to generate the e-aadhaar, but it didn’t work as the SIM of the registered mobile number had been blocked due to some reason. We somehow managed to activate the mobile number and get the e-aadhaar as proof. It was a traumatic experience,” said Rajesh.

The civic body maintains as many as 12 electric crematoria and 46 burial grounds across the city.

Ä staffer at Sumanahalli crematorium said they ask for Aadhaar as everyone has it now and they think it’s the most reliable identity proof.

When TOI randomly dialled several crematoria and burial grounds, many staffers said they are OK with Aadhaar (original or photocopy). “We ask people who come to book slot for cremation to ensure they mention the Aadhaar number during online booking and show us the original or photocopy of the Aadhaar letter or card,” said a staffer at the crematorium in west zone.

However, a staffer of Hebbal crematorium said they ask for Aadhaar, but if it’s not available, they accept any ID proof.

Prakash KV, a resident of Mallathahalli, said staffers at crematoria insist that relatives mention the Aadhaar number of the dead as identity proof.

