After a whole chain of events involving Rujira Naroola, who was held at the Kolkata Airport’s customs counter for allegedly carrying 2 kg Gold and which resulted in a standoff between the customs authorities and the Kolkata Police, a new issue has come to the fore. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a notice to Rujira Naroola, wife of Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, pointing out discrepancies and irregularities in her PIO card and marriage certificate. The notice has been issued by the foreigners division of the Union Home Ministry on 29th March and through this notice, they have sought clarifications from Rujira Naroola about the alleged irregularities and warned to take appropriate action if the needful is not done.
The MHA notice says that Naroola mentioned two different names in the father’s column in her PIO card and her marriage certificate. As per the notice issued to Abhishek Banerjee’s wife, “Ms Rujira Naroola, a Thai national, had been issued PIO card No P234979 by Indian Embassy in Bangkok on 8 January, 2010 where she mentioned Mr Niphon Naroola as her father in the card. Then she applied for conversion of her PIO card into OCI (overseas citizenship of India) card in the office of FRRO, Kolkata and got issued the OCI card No. A2B79448 on 8 November, 2017. One of the supporting documents submitted by Ms Rujira Naroola to get her PIO card converted into OCI card was the certificate of her marriage with Abhishek Banerjee which was issued on 13 February, 2013 in which Mr Gursharan Singh Ahuja was mentioned as her father.”
The notice further goes on to suggest that Ms. Naroola hid her nationality while applying for a PAN Card. “The central government has been further informed that on 14 November, 2019 Ms Rujira Naroola applied for PAN card by filing Form 49A without intimating her real status as a Thai national holding OCI card and mentioning Mr Gursharan Singh Ahuja as her father. She was actually required to fill Form 49AA to get a PAN by declaring herself as a foreigner holding an OCI card. On the basis of information given in her application Form 49A, she obtained the PAN card bearing No. AJNPN2286R under the name Ms Rujira Naroola in the capacity of an Indian citizen,” the MHA notice claimed.
“The Central Government, after examining the matter, noticed the discrepancies mentioned above and is prima facie of the opinion that registration of Ms Rujira Naroola as an OCI card holder is liable for cancellation in the interest of general public Sub Clauses (a) & (e) of Section 7D of the Citizenship Act, 1955,” according to the notice.
The BJP and CPI have demanded a probe into the matter, claiming it to be a serious fraud which needs to be dealt with stern action. Now it is up to the people involved in the matter to respond with an appropriate explanation.