‘No proof they stayed in Lucknow’

LUCKNOW: The passport office controversy involving the inter-faith couple in Lucknow has got murkier.Lucknow police on Tuesday submitted an adverse report against the couple — who had accused a Lucknow Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) superintendent of hurling religious slur — for making wrong declaration, including about their place of “current residence”, in their form.The report triggered speculation that the newly issued passports of Tanvi Seth and her husband Anas Siddiqui, who had taken social media by storm accusing passport official Vikas Mishra of hurling religious slur, could be “cancelled”. Sources said they could be fined Rs 5,000 for misleading authorities and creating a ruckus.After the couple was handed over the passports a day after the controversy erupted on the social media on June 20, intelligence unit of Lucknow police was entrusted with verification procedure involving the couple’s current and permanent residential address and their antecedents.The one-page report of the intelligence unit has cited two reasons for the verification failure, and therefore, the adverse report. With a sub-title “adverse remarks”, the report reads: “Applicants name in passport form is Tanvi Seth while in her marriage certificate Sadia Anas. Applicant is working in BT Global Business Service Pvt Ltd, Noida. Applicant lives on rent at B604, JM Archit apartment, Section 76, Noida. This rental address is not mentioned in the passport form by application.”Also, the intelligence unit couldn’t find any proof to establish that the couple was staying at their Lucknow address mentioned in the form. Sources in UP Police said that the intelligence unit team didn’t find any mobile tower locations or phone calls by any registered number in use by the couple from the given Lucknow address in the past one year. “Only Tanvi’s mother-in-law stays in Lucknow address,” said a UP police officer.Regional passport officer (RPO) Piyush Verma, however, said his office was examining the report submitted by UP police and would take an appropriate action. He dismissed reports that Mishra’s transfer to Gorakhpur was being revoked. He also refuted reports that he was summoned by the MEA in Delhi.“There is an RPO conference in Delhi. I had gone to attend that. Mishra’s transfer stands. We had only helped the couple,” said Verma.