Dead Man Returns To UP Home After 29 Years For Bengal SIR

After nearly three decades of being presumed dead, a 79-year-old man returned to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district—triggering an emotional reunion with family members who had lost hope of ever seeing him again.

Sharif Ahmad, a resident of Khatauli, had been missing since 1997 after he moved to West Bengal following his second marriage, after the death of his first wife. With no contact for years despite repeated attempts to trace him, his family eventually assumed he was no longer alive.

Ahmad resurfaced on December 29, when he arrived in Khatauli to collect documents required for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, where he has been settled for many years.

“We searched for him extensively, even travelled to West Bengal and followed the address provided by his second wife, but all efforts failed,” his nephew Waseem Ahmad told PTI. “After decades of silence, the family—especially his four daughters—believed he was no more.”

Ahmad said the SIR exercise in West Bengal compelled him to reconnect with his native place to complete documentation formalities. During his brief visit, he learnt that several close relatives, including his father and brother, had passed away in the intervening years.

The unexpected reunion was deeply emotional for the family. “Seeing him after so many years was overwhelming and joyous for all of us,” Waseem said.

After completing the necessary paperwork, Ahmad returned to Medinipur district in West Bengal, where he now lives with his family, to complete the electoral revision process.