HYDERABAD: One person was sacked and two others suspended for 180 days by Karvy’s management for forcing Muslim women to remove their head scarves to record Aadhaar biometrics.
The action was initiated after the management was pulled up by the UIDAI for violation of rights. Following a report in this newspaper on August 3, the AP State Minority Commission had issued notices to the UIDAI regional office to initiate an inquiry and submit an action taken report.
The regional office of UIDAI directed Karvy to terminate the services of one employee and suspend two others for “rude behaviour/miscommunication/wrong interpretation of process/procedure”.
However, APSMC wants to take the issue further and has sent a notice to UIDAI director-general in New Delhi and to Karvy Data Management Services. A hearing has been scheduled for September 11.
“We haven’t received a communication from UIDAI yet. The letter about termination and suspension is a photocopy of the letter furnished by Karvy who have affirmed that the recommended action has been initiated. We want them to apologise on record and also want a reply from the UIDAI office,” said commission chairman Abid Rasool Khan.
The second notice has been sent to ensure no such violation of rights takes place in the future in any state, he said. As per UIDAI guidelines: “The head may remain covered, but the full face contour should be visible. Accessories like turban/head gear are also allowed as religious/traditional practices and operators need to be trained to obtain the best possible face images that satisfy requirements. It should be borne in mind that recapture should not become harassment for the resident”.
After the notices were received from APSMC, Karvy also published advertisements in Urdu newspapers to create awareness about the proper way to take photos. In its advertisement, Karvy mentioned: “A lady who wants to enrol can opt for a lady operator for the enrolment process”.
“We just want to take it to a logical end and ensure that we hear from both Karvy and UIDAI officials about the same,” said Mr Khan.
