A juicy scoop: An interfaith couple (Tanvi Seth and Mohammad Anas Siddiqui) alleged that a passport officer in Lucknow Passport Seva Kendra rejected their application. The couple further alleged that they were humiliated and harassed before the officer, identified as Vikas Mishra, who denied their application. Seth claimed that the officer shamed her in a very rude and loud manner and that even others could hear him discussing their case.
A viral social media story: Tanvi Seth and Mohammad Anas Siddiqui, the couple that was harassed took to twitter and sought action against the official. Tanvi Seth narrated her version of the incident on twitter and also tagged minister for external affairs, Sushma Swaraj to take appropriate action in the matter.
Media jumps in: Mainstream media outlets took cognizance of the entire incident. As they are used to, they reported only one side of the story and did not even bother to give voice to what the opposite party had to say.
Quick Action: Strict action was taken against the passport official and he was transferred. Even a probe was launched against him and a show cause notice was issued to him.
The perpetrator becomes the victim: The passport officer, Vikas Mishra came out defending himself. He stated that he merely asked certain questions only because there was a difference in documents which could pose a threat to “national security”. He further stated, “I asked the lady (Tanvi Seth) about why she has not endorsed her name in the nikahnama, and asked her to use the name she had mentioned in the Islamic marriage certificate.
The wrath of disgruntled BJP supporters: The vigilant, devoted and often overenthusiastic Facebook warriors of the BJP in a completely surprising move, brought down the page ratings of Sushma Swaraj’s Facebook handle to a lowly 1.4 /5 as of now, compiled from over 33000 reviews on her Facebook page.
Fresh twist in the case: Tanvi Seth was asked to give passport to police for verification. It was being believed that the entire incident could be reinvestigated even as controversy has erupted over the name and permanent address of the applicant.
The ‘address’ clause: Police and local inspection unit, who arrived to investigate Tanvi Seth’s passport did not find any documents related to her living in Lucknow. According to rules, the applicant must have lived at the mentioned address for more than one year, but no such evidences have been found in the investigation. According to police sources, there was no evidence about Tanvi living at the said address, questioning Tanvi’s in-laws in this case didn’t prove anything as well. Now the state police is well within its rights to put a negative mark on her passport which could lead to the cancellation of the passport.
Finishing remarks: It is not uncommon to use the minority victim card in order to catch attention and force through something. Prima facie, this seems true with this incident as well. Ministry for external affairs also seems to have taken a hurried decision being pressurized from several quarters. It was not at all justified to take action against someone merely on the basis of some unsubstantiated allegations. At least, the passport officer must have been given a proper hearing before any step up was taken against him. We wish that this case is brought to its logical conclusion at the earliest and the culprits must be made an example of.