On the third floor of a narrow, unpainted building in the heart of Hyderabad’s old city, Mohammed Sattar Khan sat on his carpet and laid ou...
On the third floor of a narrow, unpainted building in the heart of Hyderabad’s old city, Mohammed Sattar Khan sat on his carpet and laid out all the identity cards he owns: an Aadhaar card, a passport, an old voter id card and a new one with his new address, as well as his nikahnama, or marriage contract. He also displayed a few of his parents’ identity documents, in the hope that they would make it clear to any observer that he and his family have always been citizens of India.
“I have been living in Hyderabad old city since 2002, but before that I was born and raised in the main city area – all my old neighbours will tell you that,” said Sattar Khan, an auto driver and occasional wedding videographer in his early 40s. “My parents used to get government pensions for years before they died, so how can I not be a citizen?”
Sattar Khan’s citizenship came under question in February, when the Unique Identification Authority of India – the agency that issues Aadhaar numbers – sent him a notice asking him to prove his citizenship before a UIDAI inquiry officer on February 20 or risk having his Aadhaar cancelled.
He is one of...
