Dehradun : Though a large section of society may be citing ulterior motives in the paternity suit filed by Rohit Shekhar to prove his claim that the veteran Congress leader, Narain Dutt Tiwari is his biological father, but the purpose of the 32-year-old is apparently more challenging, if not daunting.
“I want to remove the word ‘b*****d’ from the dictionary and set a precedent where the youth facing similar circumstances can take upon themselves the courage to face the world and put the onus on their biological fathers”, he told scribes at the Forest Research Institute campus-based residence of the 88-year-old former Uttarakhand chief.minister.
Rohit who was present along with his mother Ujjwala during the blood sample taken by a team comprising members of the judiciary, administration and doctors, at Tiwari’s residence on Tuesday underlined the tension he had been through during the over seven year long struggle he has been undergoing for the paternity test.
Obviously with the purpose before him, he bore it all stoically, even as fears were expressed in various quarter for the motive behind the paternity suit.
Though it will be about a week that the Hyderabad-based Centre for DNA, Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), where the blood sample has been sent for analyses, will reveal whether Tiwari is the biological father of the 32-year-old who has set a new bench mark for youth to come forward, but his suit will go a long way in breaking the psychological barrier of those in similar circumstances.
Not willing to comment on the questionable motives being attributed by certain sections of society, Rohit, however, expressed apprehensions that the test results at Hyderabad laboratory could be motivated, taking into consideration the clout of the veteran Congress leader in political circles, cutting across political lines, and the important positions Tiwari has held over his long political career.
Tiwari could now go for manipulations at Hyderabad laboratory as he has not only been avoiding giving his blood sample for long, but till the very last minute knocked on the door of the apex court to avoid the test, and was hopeful that a positive result of the test could prove a precedent for others to come forward and take up the matter in their cases.
However, his mother, Ujjwala, who was mainly silent all through and even had a minor spat with her son which indicated that there could be personal differences in the matter, expressed hope that justice may finally come her son’s way.
She refused to say anything further in the matter except that it had been a long drawn legal battle to get the blood sample.
A journalist with over 40 years of experience, Jagdish Bhatt was Editor, Hill Post (Uttarakhand).
Jagdish had worked with India’s leading English dailies, which include Times of India, Indian Express, Pioneer and several other reputed publications. A highly acclaimed journalist, he was a recipient of many awards
Jagdish Bhatt, aged 72, breathed his last on 28th August 2021 at his Dehradun residence.
