Teacher whose name gets misprinted as ‘Kutta', barks at government official to get his name corrected

Time of India

11 hours ago

Small clerical errors can lead to long, frustrating fights that feel almost an endless road for some people. For those whose documents carry incorrect information, the process of getting corrections done can be both emotionally draining and time-consuming.
Despite repeated visits and formal applications, many citizens are left unheard, shuffled between desks, and caught in red tape.
A recent incident from Bankura, West Bengal, has gone viral after a man, frustrated by repeated administrative indifference, but surprisingly he took an unusual form of protest. His name had been embarrassingly misprinted on an official document, and after multiple failed attempts to fix it, he decided to take a stand in the most attention-grabbing way possible.
Srikanti Kumar Dutta, a qualified teacher from Bankura, West Bengal, had been trying for weeks to get a mistake on his ration card corrected. Instead of his actual last name, the document labeled him as Srikanti Kumar "Kutta", a word that means "dog" in Hindi.
'How can I explain how insulted I felt? Only someone who goes through it can understand it,' Mr. Dutta told NDTV. He added, 'I had to go there not once, not twice but thrice.
I am a qualified teacher but I have not yet been called for an interview.'
Frustrated by the lack of response from local officials despite multiple visits, Dutta turned up at a "Duarey Sarkar", or government at your doorstep camp, a state initiative meant to help with such issues. However, even after showing the error to the Joint Block Development Officer, his request went ignored again.
Finally, overwhelmed and angry, Dutta decided to take an unusual stand.
Spotting a car marked "Executive Magistrate," he began barking and yelping like a dog, loudly enough to force the official inside to check his documents immediately. The protest was recorded on video and has since gone viral on social media.
'If the person who made this mistake on my card had a kutta written against his name what would he have done? I was very angry and felt like picking up my shoes. But we are educated, we can't do that.
That is when I thought of acting according to my 'name',' he told NDTV.
Two days later, the correction was finally made. His name, previously distorted into various forms including 'Mondal' and 'Kranti,' was officially restored to Srikanti Kumar Dutta.
Thanking the media for amplifying his voice, he added, 'It was because the media picked up the issue that I have been successful in getting my name corrected. There must be thousands like me. Why is there such a crowd at the counter where the corrections are being made? The number seems to be going up each time.'