FOREIGN PASSPORTS ISSUED USING BIHAR ADDRESSES:DEVANAND SINGH

FOREIGN PASSPORTS ISSUED USING BIHAR ADDRESSES:DEVANAND SINGH

1-OCT-ENG 18

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA------------------------Reports that 31 Afghan nationals obtained Indian passports using ddresses in Bihar have raised serious questions about the government's document verification system. Information from Police Headquarters reveals that Indian passports were issued to 30 Afghan nationals using Patna addresses and one using a Darbhanga address. There are also reports of two Bangladeshi nationals obtaining Indian passports using Bihar addresses. As the matter is under investigation, a final conclusion will only emerge after the inquiry report is submitted. However, the question arises immediately: how did this happen?

A passport is not merely an ordinary identity card; it is a crucial travel document issued by the Government of India. Obtaining one involves the verification of claims regarding identity, address, and citizenship. Consequently, if foreign nationals have secured passports based on Indian addresses and documents, this is not simply a case of alleged fraud by the applicants; it is a matter requiring an examination of the entire process—which involves scrutiny at multiple stages, from the initial application and police verification to the final issuance of the passport.

The investigation must now focus on how the individuals in question obtained the Bihar addresses and what documents were submitted with their applications. Were the documents forged? Were the documents of actual individuals used? Was the address verification conducted properly? And most importantly, if deliberate assistance was provided, at what level did it occur? Answers to these questions cannot be found without a thorough investigation of the entire process.

Following reports from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Police Headquarters has directed the District Magistrates (DMs) and Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs)/Superintendents of Police (SPs) of the concerned districts to conduct an investigation. While this is a necessary step, the inquiry should not be limited to the passport holders alone. Every link in the chain—from the source of the documents used to prove identity or address to the verification mechanism itself—must be scrutinized. If fraud is proven, it must also be determined whether the lapse was due to negligence or part of an organized effort. It would be inappropriate to hastily declare anyone guilty in this matter. Being a foreign national is not a crime in itself. Whether a crime or fraud has occurred will be determined solely by the available documents and the findings of the investigation. Therefore, the investigation must be fact-based and impartial.

This matter concerns the credibility of the system just as much as it concerns the documents themselves. If irregularities come to light during the investigation, it will be essential not only to take action against the guilty but also to rectify the flaws in the verification process. The question is not merely how 33 passports were issued; the crucial question is what changes will be made to the system to prevent such lapses from recurring. This will be the true test of the investigation.