The passport officer in Lucknow, who allegedly humiliated and rejected the application of an interfaith couple, has been transferred. Meanwhile, Tanvi Seth and her husband, Mohammad Anas Siddiqui, have received their passports.
In a series of tweets, Seth thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today morning.
@SushmaSwaraj@rpolucknow Since the time we walked in to the RPO office this morning we were treated very well by Mr. Piyush Verma and all the officials. They apologised for the misconduct of the official yesterday. They looked at our documents and issued passports to us in 1/3 https://t.co/kx7PQo92po
— Tanvi Seth (@tanvianas) June 21, 2018
@SushmaSwaraj@rpolucknow contd no time .the way we have been treated today has been reflective of the impression we had about ministry of external affairs. They have been absolutely empathetic and caring about the way we felt and our issues from yesterday. 2/3 https://t.co/mOLRqImai6
— Tanvi Seth (@tanvianas) June 21, 2018
@SushmaSwaraj@rpolucknow@CPVIndia Thank you for the timely action and and understanding towards our feelings and issue. I am extremely satisfied with what has happened. https://t.co/mOLRqImai6
— Tanvi Seth (@tanvianas) June 21, 2018
On Wednesday, a passport officer in Lucknow, Vikas Mishra, allegedly rejected the the application of Seth and Siddiqui, and asked the latter to convert to Hinduism.
In a series of tweets Seth, who married Siddiqui in 2007, described how she and her husband were allegedly shamed by a passport officer.
Referring to the passport officer, she wrote, "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....He dint just put my passport on hold he even put my husband's passport on hold."
In an email to Swaraj, Seth explained that the passport officer was angry because she had retained her maiden name after marrying a Muslim. She quoted him as saying: "Aapke saath to masla hai. Aapne Muslim se shaadi ki hai to aapka naam Tanvi Seth kaisai ho sakta hai?"
@SushmaSwaraj 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 marri 1/2
— Tanvi Seth (@tanvianas) June 20, 2018
@SushmaSwaraj 2/2 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.
— Tanvi Seth (@tanvianas) June 20, 2018
@SushmaSwaraj behaviour. 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 marriage. This is our family matter and last thing I expected to hear at the passport office was 2/3
— Tanvi Seth (@tanvianas) June 20, 2018
@SushmaSwaraj it is your duty to change your name after marriage. The person who spoke to my husband later said if your wife's case would have come to me there wouldn't have been issues because her papers are complete.
— Tanvi Seth (@tanvianas) June 20, 2018
Siddiqui toldNews 18 that Mishra not only humiliated him and his wife over the issuing of passports, but he also told him to convert to Hinduism.
"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," he said.
Siddiqui also told the news website, "He said that I will have to convert to Hinduism else my marriage won't be accepted. He asked, 'You have to take the pheras and get converted to our religion, will you do so?'"
Siddiqui had also asked Swaraj and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene.
@MEAIndia@CPVIndia@PMOIndia@SushmaSwaraj@passportsevamea : Sir/Ma'am, I request you to please help us. Getting a passport made has cost us humiliation, shame in front of so many officials and other applicants. PLEASE someone listen to our issue and address necessary actions.
— Anas Siddiqui (@5220manas) June 20, 2018
— Anas Siddiqui (@5220manas) June 20, 2018