An Indian teacher went unpaid for two decades after officials spelled his father’s name and district name incorrectly and then suspended him as an impostor.
Anarul Haque began his teaching career in Murshidabad in West Bengal in 1986.
However, the 60-year-old was suspended a few months later when officials found that his name and address did not match those in his records.
Despite alerting local education officials of the spelling and clerical errors, which included his date of birth, be was forced to take part in court cases to win back his job and have his salary paid.
His letter of appointment named him as the son of Shaked, born in 1955 and living in Kurulia district.
However, his actual details have his name as Anarul Haque of Manikpur village in the district of Kuturia, son of Shakeb and born on March 14, 1952.
Although he was suspended, reinstated and suspended again, he continued his work as a teacher by cycling to remote villages to give private lessons to provide for his eight children.
“None of these mistakes were created by me, they were all clerical errors. For some government official’s mistakes I have had to pay dearly for 26 years,” he told The Pioneer newspaper.
The High Court ordered his reinstatement in 1989 and the teacher highlighted his victory by naming his daughter “Winning.”
But the Communist-led government ignored the ruling and allegedly demanded more than £700 to impose the ruling, leading Mr Haque to name his second daughter “Contempt” to mark his irritation.
Mr Haque is taking his case to the Supreme Court and hopes that support will come from the state’s new chief minister, Mamata “Didi” Bannerjee.
“I could not afford the [bribe] money. So I had to wait for so many years for the government to change. That has [now] happened. I only have Didi as my hope. With all her concern for teachers’ salaries, I am sure she will help me,” he said.
