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From ‘dead to alive’ in 72 hours: Auto driver’s Aadhaar reactivated
Gaurav Sahu’s troubles began on September 7, 2025, at the Murari Lal Chest Hospital in Kanpur after he found a young man gasping for breath and offered his own Aadhaar card to ensure immediate treatment.
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Gaurav Sahu, the 30-year-old auto driver who was declared “dead” in official records after lending his Aadhaar card to help a patient, is alive again, officially.
His Aadhaar was reactivated on Friday, less than 72 hours after his ordeal was first reported. The sense of relief was overwhelming for him.
“I can’t even describe how alive I feel right now. I checked my status online and it is activated,” an elated Sahu said.
He credited the media coverage for the swift resolution. HT had highlighted his plight in its edition dated February 24.
“I can’t thank your newspaper (HT) enough for becoming the voice of the voiceless. Work that would have taken a year was done in three days,” he added.
Sahu’s trouble began on September 7, 2025, at the government-run Murari Lal Chest Hospital in Kanpur after he found a young man, Ashish Srivastava, gasping for breath at the hospital entrance. As the patient carried no documents and hospital protocol required valid identification for admission, Sahu offered his own Aadhaar card to ensure immediate treatment.
Srivastava died five days later. In a grave clerical error, hospital staff recorded Sahu’s Aadhaar details on the deceased patient’s form instead of the patient’s own particulars.
Sahu discovered he was “dead” on paper this January when he went to collect his family’s monthly ration. He was turned away after records showed he was no longer alive. A subsequent visit to the post office confirmed that his Aadhaar had been deactivated due to “deceased status”.
For over a month, he went from office to office, narrating his ordeal and seeking correction, but received no relief. It was only after his story was reported that authorities acted.
Kanpur district magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh termed it a “grave mistake” and directed the health department to send a cancellation report to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). The chief medical officer’s office subsequently issued a formal letter cancelling his deceased status.
The UIDAI fast-tracked his biometric update on Wednesday, synchronising the data with its Bengaluru centre.
Prashant Kumar Singh, deputy director-general of UIDAI (Regional Office, Lucknow) confirmed to HT on Friday that after following the standard operating procedure (SOP), the person’s Aadhaar card was reactivated within 72 hours.
Sahu visited his bank and the local ration shop to verify his status. He was informed that his Aadhaar is active and that a fresh ration card for his family of six will be issued shortly.
“Today, I got my life back,” he said.
