Mangaluru: Padma Shri awardee and social worker Harekala Hajabba was served a notice during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka after a discrepancy was found in the way his name appeared in the old and current voter records. Officials later visited his residence, collected the required documents and withdrew the notice after apologising to him.

Hajabba, a resident of Harekala in Ullal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, was asked to appear before the concerned gram panchayat on September 11 with original documents as part of the SIR verification process.

The issue reportedly arose because Hajabba's name was recorded simply as ‘Hajabba’ in the 2002 electoral roll, while his current official documents carry the name ‘Harekala Hajabba’. The difference was flagged during the software-based verification of voter records, following which the notice was issued.

After officials realised that the notice had been issued to the Padma Shri awardee, they visited Hajabba's residence instead of requiring him to appear at the gram panchayat. They examined and collected the necessary documents and apologised to him for the inconvenience caused.

The Dakshina Kannada district administration clarified that the discrepancy had emerged during the SIR verification process and that the matter had been resolved after the relevant documents were obtained. Hajabba said a senior official examined his records and assured him that his name would remain on the final electoral roll.

According to the sources, Hajabba's name appears as ‘Harekala Hajabba’ in documents including his ration card, Aadhaar, passport, voter ID and records relating to his Padma Shri award. In contrast, the 2002 electoral roll carried only the name ‘Hajabba’.

Hajabba is widely known for his contribution to education. He earned a livelihood by selling oranges by the roadside in Mangaluru and used his earnings and savings to establish a school in his village. His efforts to promote education earned him national recognition, including the Padma Shri.

The incident comes amid the ongoing SIR exercise in Karnataka, during which discrepancies between old electoral records and current details are being examined and notices are being issued to voters wherever clarification or supporting documents are required.