Uttarakhand Twins Endure Decade-Long Aadhaar Nightmare
Kunal and Kajal, a brother-sister duo from Bageshwar district in Uttarakhand, share more than just family ties. Born just forty-five minutes apart, they have also been saddled with the same Aadhaar number for over a decade. This administrative error, stemming from a biometric mix-up, has thrown their lives into disarray, creating endless obstacles in accessing essential services.
A Life Full of Hurdles
The siblings, now seventeen years old, have faced constant rejections and disruptions. Kunal's dreams of joining the Army have been put on hold. He has been sitting at home since early 2025 after completing Class XII, unable to secure college admission because of the Aadhaar issue. His applications for competitive exams and government schemes were routinely turned down.
"Whenever my Aadhaar verification failed, it felt like my future was getting stalled," Kunal said. "Aadhaar is mandatory, but in our case it has become a huge barrier, not an identity."
Kajal, who is currently pursuing a BSc in agriculture, echoed her brother's frustrations. From school admissions to healthcare services, they were forced to repeatedly explain that the error lay with the system, not with them. "With Aadhaar linked to almost everything, we faced constant disruptions and couldn't lead a normal life," she added. "And now, it started hurting our career prospects too."
The Root of the Problem
Their father, Kundan Singh Koranga, a small-time farmer from the tiny village of Badi Panyali in Kapkot, recounted how the mix-up occurred. The family got an Aadhaar card for Kajal in 2013. Days later, when they tried to get one for Kunal, his fingerprints did not match for some reason. In 2015, Kunal went to a government-authorized common service center and obtained a card, which the family kept safely at home.
The shocking discovery came a year later. The children were supposed to show their Aadhaar copies in school, and that is when the family realized the twins shared a common number. Kundan, who describes himself as not very literate, suddenly found himself navigating a bureaucratic maze.
A Father's Desperate Struggle
"I started visiting local offices and district authorities in Haldwani and even went twice to Delhi," Kundan said. "We gave our complaints to the UIDAI office as well, but it didn't help much. We only received a lot of assurances... My children were still facing difficulties everywhere."
After a formal application in October 2024 to cancel the original Aadhaar, the family again sought help. They approached their village head, Gopal Singh Koranga, for a way out. Seeing Kunal struggle with college admission, the village head decided to take the matter directly to the district magistrate on priority.
"This is actually not about one family," the village head said. "It points to a larger systemic lapse. There should be more awareness and it must be corrected in time."
Official Acknowledgement and Hope
Finally, after years of struggle, officials from the Unique Identification Authority of India have acknowledged the mistake. Rohit Bahuguna, the Bageshwar e-district manager who looks after such grievances, confirmed the case has been taken up with UIDAI's regional office in Dehradun.
"It is possibly linked to a 'mixed biometric' error, where the twins' data might've got interchanged during enrollment," Bahuguna said. "Separate Aadhaar numbers will be issued to the twins very soon."
The authority has assured the siblings that the affected Aadhaar number will be cancelled. For Kunal and Kajal, this long-awaited resolution promises to unlock doors that have been shut for over ten years, finally allowing them to pursue their education and careers without the shadow of an administrative error.
