After 17 Years of Bondage, Why is This Man from Tamil Nadu Still Fighting for His Compensation?

Seventeen years after he was trapped in bondage, Appa Rao finally returned home last year, only to run into another wall: bureaucracy. Despite being sanctioned rehabilitation assistance, the 60-year-old did not receive a rupee so far because the name on his Aadhaar card did not match the one in his bank records.

While his release certificate and bank records mention the name “Appa Rao Kissan”, his Aadhaar card identifies him as “Apparao Kondagorri”. This denied him access to the rehabilitation funds of Rs 2.3 lakh in his account.


“I did not receive any money from the govt,” says Appa Rao, who returned to his family in March last year. Though happy to be back with his only daughter and to spend time with his grandchildren, he never imagined that a clerical error would delay compensation.

“After a lot of struggle, we managed to get the Aadhaar card on the fourth attempt, as the first three applications were rejected. It carries his surname ‘Kondagorri’, says son-in-law Chandu, adding that Appa Rao had no govt-issued identity document until he obtained an Aadhaar card.

“Before getting the Aadhaar, officials insisted on an ID proof, and now they are refusing to process the rehabilitation amount because the Aadhaar name does not match the bank account opened in Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu,” says Chandu.

The Sivaganga administration sanctioned ₹2 lakh to Appa Rao, including ₹1 lakh from the collector’s special fund, in addition to the initial rehabilitation amount of ₹ 30,000. “We also informed the district administration and labour department officials in Parvathipuram Manyam about the discrepancy in his name. They assured us they would look into it,” says a member of the rescue team, which spotted Appa Rao on Jan 31, 2025, paving the way for his rescue.

At the time of rescue, Appa Rao could barely recall details of his family and repeated only “Parvathipuram”. Since he was speaking Telugu, the labour department, with support from collector Asha Ajith, contacted the department in Andhra Pradesh to trace his family. It took 42 days of coordinated effort.

“We are trying to get a bona fide certificate from the Parvathipuram Manyam district collector to help Appa Rao operate his bank account and access the sanctioned funds,” says an official.