Day After Being Harassed, Lucknow Inter-faith Couple Receive Passports; Officer Transferred

Hours after the incident, Secretary of External Affairs Ministry D M Mulay took cognizance of the matter and assured “appropriate action”

Lucknow, June 21 A day after an inter-faith couple tweeted to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj narrating the humiliation they had to face at the city passport office, accused officer Vikas Mishra was transferred to Gorakhpur. A probe was also ordered in this regard on Thursday.

Hours after the incident, secretary of external affairs ministry D M Mulay took cognizance of the matter and assured “appropriate action”, following which the couple was called to the passport office on Thursday and their passports were handed over to them.

“@tanvianas: Regret for inconvenience. I sought report from @rpolucknow Will take appropriate action. (sic),” Mulay tweeted.

The incident was first reported on Wednesday when it came to light that the couple, who had applied for their passports in Lucknow, were allegedly humiliated and shamed by passport officer Vikas Mishra before he rejected their application.

Mohammad Anas Siddiqui, who married Tanvi Seth in 2007 in Lucknow and has a six-year-old daughter, applied for both of their passports on June 19 and took an appointment for June 20 at the Passport Office in Lucknow.

On the day of the appointment, the couple cleared the first two stages of the interview at counters A and B but problem started at counter C where one has to interact with an official.

Speaking to News18, Siddiqui said, “My wife’s turn came before me and as soon as she reached counter C5, an officer named Vikas Mishra started to go through her documents. When he read the spouse’s name as Mohd Anas Siddiqui, he started shouting at her and said that she should not have married me. My wife broke into tears, after which Mr. Mishra said that she should get all the documents corrected with a changed name.”

Seth later tweeted to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and the Prime Minister’s Office and sought their intervention, following which the action was taken.

In her tweet to Swaraj, Seth wrote, “Hello Ma’am, I type this tweet with immense faith in justice and in you and ironically with a lot of anger/hurt and agony in my heart because of the way I was treated at the Lucknow passport office at Ratan Square by Mr. Vikas Mishra the reason because I married a Muslim and not changed my name ever. He spoke to me very rudely and was loud enough for others to hear while discussing my case. I have never felt so harassed ever before. The other workers at the office acknowledged his rude demeanour (sic).”

In another tweet, Tanvi Seth added: “Sushma Swaraj Ma’am I have never imagined that in a place like passport office we would have a people who are moral policing the citizens. He didn’t just put my passport on hold he even put my husband’s passport on hold. This is a clear grudge. I was shocked at this behavior. I have never felt so insulted in the last 12 years of my marriage with my husband. It is my personal choice to choose a name I want to after my marriage. This is our family matter and the last thing I expected to hear at the passport office was it is your duty to change your name after marriage. The person who spoke to my husband later said of your wife’s case would have been come to me there wouldn’t have been issues because her papers are complete (sic).”

Meanwhile the Regional passport officer Vikas Mishra, who was transferred to Gorakhpur for harassing an inter-faith couple, claimed on Thursday that the questions asked were a part of his duty as difference in documents could pose a “danger to national security”.

Talking to News18, the accused superintendent said, “I asked the lady about why she has not endorsed her name in the nikahnama, and asked her to use the she had mentioned in the Islamic marriage certificate. Anyone can up with such documents and it can be a danger to our national security. I am a secular person and do not hold any grudges against anyone.”

Expressing regret over the inconvenience faced by Lucknow couple, Regional Passport Officer Peeyush Verma said that they should not have been subjugated to such harassment.

“As all the documents of the couple were complete, we have delivered the passports to them today itself,” Verma said, adding that the accused officer has been transferred to Gorakhpur Regional Passport Office with immediate effect and a report will be sent to Ministry of External Affairs for further action

“Religion of the applicant does not matter at all while applying for a passport,” he said.

Speaking to media after getting the passports, Anas Siddiqui and Tanvi Seth said, “We are very happy that RPO called us today and took action. They have also apologised for all the inconvenience we had to face yesterday. I am really thankful to Ministry of External Affairs for their intervention.”

The incident was reported  on Wednesday when Siddiqui and Seth, who had applied for their passports in Lucknow, were allegedly harassed and shamed by Mishra before rejecting their application. Hours later, secretary of external affairs ministry D M Mulay took cognizance of the matter and assured “appropriate action”.

Seth had tweeted to MEA Sushma Swaraj, saying, “Hello Ma’am, I type this tweet with immense faith in justice and in you and ironically with a lot of anger/hurt and agony in my heart because of the way I was treated at the Lucknow passport office at Ratan Square by Mr. Vikas Mishra the reason because I married a Muslim and not changed my name ever. He spoke to me very rudely and was loud enough for others to hear while discussing my case. I have never felt so harassed ever before. The other workers at the office acknowledged his rude demeanour (sic).”

In another tweet, Tanvi Seth added: “Sushma Swaraj Ma’am I have never imagined that in a place like passport office we would have a people who are moral policing the citizens. He didn’t just put my passport on hold he even put my husband’s passport on hold. This is a clear grudge. I was shocked at this behavior. I have never felt so insulted in the last 12 years of my marriage with my husband. It is my personal choice to choose a name I want to after my marriage. This is our family matter and the last thing I expected to hear at the passport office was it is your duty to change your name after marriage. The person who spoke to my husband later said of your wife’s case would have been come to me there wouldn’t have been issues because her papers are complete (sic).”