NRI headbutts NMC red tape

The Gandhigiri-style protest popularised by ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ has been used by many to embarrass thick-skinned government officers.

On Tuesday, non-resident Indian (NRI) from Australia used a variation of it at Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s Citizens Facility Centre creating sensation for almost two hours.

The NRI Raza Sharif, a former resident of Vaishali Nagar, Nagpur, was allegedly being made to run from pillar to post for the last 15 days to make some corrections in the birth certificates of his two sons — Danish and Dilshad. To him it seemed like banging his head against a wall. He decided to do it literally to highlight the working of thick-skinned NMC officials. He smashed his forehead at the chamber of R S Kamble, head of Citizens’ Facility Centre.

Raza Sharif told reporters after the incident that the officials of the centre and NMC security men manhandled him and hit him on the forehead by a rod after he protested their demands for money to get his work done. Raza said he was visiting NMC birth and death registration office for making spelling and address corrections in birth certificates of his sons for the last 15 days. These are needed for preparing some documents for applying for Australian citizenship. However the officials here, despite submitting affidavit and other documents twice, made incorrect entries, he alleged. The officials were not paying any heed to his requests and were demanding money to get his work done, Raza said.

He alleged that after his protest they called in security staff who smashed his forehead.

However, Kamble said that Raza entered CFC in the evening and directly started abusing the officials. “Despite his matter being related with birth and death registration department, we sorted out his problems. He was too aggressive and suddenly started smashing his forehead on my table. He also tore his shirt and started shouting that officials and security men had assaulted him,” Kamble said, adding, “after informing the incident to seniors, I registered a complaint against him with the Sadar police station.”