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Written by Mathew Thomas

Here is one India's unfortunate residents [because he is not yet a citizen, not having his biometrics in the NPR]. His smile belies his mental pain. There are many like him, residents of this country, numbering a few Lakhs, if not some millions. They do not have fingers to have prints taken. How would UID be of any use to him? Would it not make him a non-person, one who is not found in the UIDAI's book of Indian human life? Does anyone, ministers, bureaucrats, technocrats - those who are feverishly trying out all their new fangled hi-tech gadgets and theories to capture biometrics of a billion people - ever notice people like him? Of course, not. These are the forgotten ones for whom they intend to serve! Could anything be more hypocritical? 

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Written by Mathew Thomas

In 1994, New York Times published a news story that described cases of police officers faking fingerprints to foist false cases against innocent people.

Remembering the recent news in the 'Bangalore Mirror', of police officers at the J J Nagar police station threatening a jeweler after taking his fingerprints, with listing him on the criminals register, if he did not pay up their extortion demand, it is scary to think of our fate, once UID becomes ubiquitous in India and the data accessible to the police.