India investigates ID card issued to monkey god
13 Sep BBC
Authorities in India are investigating how Hanuman, the monkey god,
has been issued a biometric identity card.The card photo features the
character from the Hindu epic Ramayana wearing gold and pearl jewellery
and a crown.It emerged when a postman attempted to deliver the card, but
could not find a Hanuman at the address.
When he looked at the photograph he realised it was probably a prank.
It is not clear who the iris scan and fingerprints on the card belong
to.The card lists Hanuman as "Pawan-ji's" son (the god was known as son
of Pawan in Hindu mythology) and lists a mobile phone number and an
address in the western state of Rajasthan.
Hanuman is generally depicted with a human body, a red monkey's face
and a tail. There are temples dedicated to Hanuman all over the
country.Postman Heeralal Saini, who was given the card for delivery,
returned it to the post office after he failed to find "Pawan-ji's son
Hanuman" and the phone number listed on the card did not connect, an
official in Rajasthan's postal department told BBC Hindi.
The card will now be returned to the Bangalore office of Unique
Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), he said.Part human-part
monkey, Hanuman is a central character in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He is
generally depicted as a man with the face of a monkey and a long
tail.Often described as the "son of Pawan", the Hindu god for wind,
Hanuman is known for his extraordinary daring feats, strength and
loyalty.The Ramayana describes him as an ideal devotee of Lord Ram.
According to the epic, Hanuman and his vaanar sena an army of monkeys
help Ram in his battle against Ravana, the Sri Lankan demon king who
kidnaps his wife Sita.
According to legend, Hanuman could enlarge his body at will, fly
across the ocean, carry a mountain on his palm and burn down large parts
of Lanka with his tail on fire.Hanuman's followers believe that
worshipping him will liberate them from fear and danger.
The local centre and the operator who issued the card will be
identified and punished, deputy director general of UIDAI Ashok Dalwai
said.This is a deliberate mischief on the part of the operator. He will
be removed permanently and the enrolment agency will be penalised. "The
process of identifying the operator and the agency is on.
It will not take time for us to identify. But I must also point out
that such instances are few given the vast number of cards we process,"
he added.India launched the huge national identity scheme aimed at
cutting fraud and improving access to state benefits in 2010.
The scheme aims to issue an ID card with a 12-digit unique number to
all of India's 1.2 billion citizens with details of their biometrics -
including an iris scan, fingerprints and photographs.
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