SIR showdown in UP: Man-turned-monk returns after 36 years to collect documents; family refuses to recognise him

KANPUR: A monk was forced to seek police assistance after his family refused to recognise him and withheld his documents when he returned to Dharamangadpur village in the Sajeti police station area of Kanpur on Friday to collect papers needed for the SIR exercise. Sajeti police station officers intervened and, having verified his identity through the documents he carried, permitted him to take his marksheet and related records. The monk was identified as Sarvesh Sachan, known as Kallu, son of Indrapal, a resident of the village. He left home in 1989 after graduating from DAV College in Kanpur and has lived as a monk at Tauni Devi Dham in Hamirpur district, Himachal Pradesh, for about 36 years.During the visit, his family refused to acknowledge him and reported the matter to the police. He had visited the village 10 years earlier in connection with a land division dispute but left when his family challenged his identity. He said he only required his marksheet and related documents to complete the SIR formSajeti police station in-charge Awdhesh Kumar said, "Sarvesh had left home at the age of 19. After his identity was confirmed, he was allowed to take the documents."