Surat couple allege ‘harassment’ by civic authorities, seek ‘mercy death’ in plea to Collector

5 min readSuratJun 21, 2026 01:11 PM IST

According to Gahlaut's memorandum to the collector, the fire department in its response said that there was no need for NOC as the shops were too small in size.

An elderly couple in Surat, who have been on their own after losing nine family members in an accident around 10 years ago, have filed an application for ‘mercy death’ before the district collector on Friday claiming they could not further bear the “mental and physical torture” by Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) officials who allegedly “sealed their 11 shops”, the “rent income for which was their only support”.

Surat District Collector Tejas Parmar said, “We will look into the issue and understand the matter and try to resolve it.”

Originally from Pali, Rajasthan, Shyambhai Gahlaut (73) and his wife Madhuben (69), have been settled in Surat for nearly 50 years and now reside in Jalaram Nagar, Pandesara.

In the memorandum, the couple mentioned that nine relatives – their two sons and their families, their daughter and her family, and Shyambhai Gahlaut’s brother-in-law and his family – died in a road accident near Karjan in Vadodara,

on November 7, 2016, leaving them as the only survivors.

The couple alleged that SMC officials sealed 11 shops they owned in Ranchodnagar of Bamroli area after which they moved the Gujarat High Court. It was then revealed that the shops were not compliant with fire safety norms. The case went on for five years and the couple assured the HC that they would install fire safety equipment and they applied for a No Objection Certificate. According to Gahlaut’s memorandum to the collector, the fire department in its response said that there was no need for NOC as the shops were too small in size.

Confirming this, a fire brigade officer said, “The application filed by Shyambhai Gahlaut was looked at by us, and on spot survey, we found that the shops were small in size, so there is no need for fire safety NOC.”

The couple had bought the property in 2006 when it was under the Bamroli gram panchayat, which in 2009 was included in the municipal corporation limits. The couple stated that they had been regularly paying the property tax to SMC as well. “Under the Gujarat Regularisation of Unauthorised Development, we filed an application with SMC to get our property regularised on September 24, 2024, but till date, no progress has been made by the civic organisation,” their memorandum said.

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According to the couple, officials of the SMC Udhna Zone sealed their shops in 2021 “without citing a reason”. On January 31, 2026, the SMC opened the seals and the couple began to get their rent income again. However, SMC officials returned on May 30 and sealed 11 of their shops which they alleged were “without any notice.”

The couple has accused executive engineer Bhairav Desai of asking them to meet BJP leaders to resolve their issue ” We have been facing immense physical and mental pressure from the executive engineer Bhairav Desai and the BJP leaders. The harassment has now become unbearable, and we cannot bear it anymore. There is no other way left for us except ending our lives, so we request you to give us permission to end our lives”, their memorandum to collector Tejas Parmar said.

Executive engineer of South Zone of SMC, Bhairav Desai told The Indian Express, “In 2024, we told Gahlaut to submit certain documents necessary to get the property regularised under the GRUDA Act, 2011. He (Gahlaut) failed to comply, so we sealed the property. A few days ago, he applied to open the shops so the items inside could be taken out. There is an internal tussle between the Gahlaut couple and other local residents as well. Our sympathy is with the couple as they have lost nine members.” The GRUDA Act has provision to regularise irregular portions of property by paying an impact fee.

Gahlaut alleged, “Through my architect, we have submitted necessary documents with SMC and have conveyed our willingness to pay the impact fee to regularise our property. But every now and then, they are demanding more and more documents. They seal our property without giving us notice, which is against the law. We are also facing mental and physical harassment from the local BJP leaders. Now we are tired of fighting with SMC and local BJP leaders, so there is no way out, and for that we have filed a mercy death application to Surat District Collector.” Active euthanasia, which the couple is seeking, is illegal in India.

Unwilling to reveal the rent income, Gahlaut told The Indian Express, “The income generated from the rent is sufficient for our survival.”

Kamal Saiyed is a senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, providing extensive, on-the-ground coverage from Surat and the broader South Gujarat region and the Union territories of Daman, Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli. With a reporting career at the publication spanning back to 2007, he has established himself as a high-authority voice on the industrial, social, and political pulse of one of India’s fastest-growing urban hubs.

Expertise

Industrial & Economic Beat: Based in the "Diamond City," Saiyed offers expert reporting on the diamond and textile industries. His work tracks global market shifts (such as De Beers production changes), local trade policies, and the socio-economic challenges facing the millions of workers in Surat’s manufacturing hubs.

Civic & Infrastructure Coverage: He consistently reports on urban development and public safety in Surat, including:

Traffic & Urban Planning: Monitoring the city's 13-fold increase in traffic violations and the implementation of new municipal drives.

Public Safety: Investigative reporting on infrastructure failures, fire safety NOC compliance in schools and commercial buildings, and Metro rail progress.

Political Reporting: Tracking the shifting dynamics between the BJP, Congress, and AAP in South Gujarat and the neighboring Union Territories (Daman, Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli).

Crime beat: Armed with a good source network Saiyed has been able to bring out the human side of crime stories in his region ... Read More

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