The Hindu : New Delhi News : Passport renewal request rejected

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 22, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Passport renewal request rejected

Staff Reporter

Embassy, Nepalese citizen trade charges

NEW DELHI: He may claim to have never been an active member of any political outfit, but for Amresh Kumar Singh, being an educated member of a country that does not spell democracy the same way anymore, seems to have cost more than just his freedom to movement.

A Nepalese citizen who is currently a student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) here, Amresh alleges that his request for a renewal of his passport was rejected by the Royal Nepalese Embassy on the ground that he had been "part of the democratic movement''.

While the Embassy refuted the charges as completely baseless, Amresh claims he was told by Embassy officials that as per the new government policy, only selected persons would be given passports.

According to Amresh, he had gone to the Embassy on April 15 for renewing his passport as he wanted to visit Bandung, Indonesia, to participate in a research conference being organised by the Institute for Global Justice.

Amresh had received an invitation from the organisation to participate in the event.

A research scholar at the School of International Studies in JNU, Amresh said he has never been a part of any political outfit, but accepts that he does not support the current rule in Nepal as it is not democratic.

"When officials at the Embassy told me that I would have to take the approval of the Ambassador for renewal of my passport, I was surprised but was not worried. But when I approached the Ambassador Karna Dhowj Adhikari, he refused to renew it, saying he could not do so because I am part of the democratic movement.

He also said that since February 1, the Government had adopted a policy to give passports to selected persons and restrict the movement of education Nepalese people abroad,'' he said.

When contacted by The Hindu, Mr.Adhikari denied the allegations.

"The charges are completely baseless. There is an official process to be followed in such cases. One cannot just renew it like that,'' he said.

As of now, Amresh is taking refuse in the fact that his stay in JNU in India is not dependent on the validity of his passport, which expires in June.

"Thankfully I can stay in India and complete my studies as there are no such restrictions. But as a research scholar it is important for me to travel to conferences and seminars. How can they take away my right to movement in violation of the Vienna Convention,'' he asked.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi

News Update

Stories in this Section