A woman and her mother who came to India from Pakistan on a conference visa have alleged harassment by the Delhi Police over registration formalities.
Fatima, a lawyer by profession, had recently come to Amritsar with a group of five other women. She has a police-reporting visa for four cities in India, including Amritsar, Ajmer, Chandigarh and Delhi and is required to report to the police every time she visits a new city.
‘Illegal stay’After attending a conference in Amritsar, Fatima with his mother came to Delhi on Sunday night, while the other women stayed back in Amritsar. They reported at the Turkman Gate police station in Central Delhi within 24 hours of their arrival in the city.
According to the lawyer, the police, however, insisted that she should produce an exit form signed by the authorities in Amritsar otherwise would not be registered in Delhi and their stay would be considered illegal. “We did not know that we had to take an exit form from each city. In Delhi, my mother fell ill, she is also diabetic and it is difficult for us to go to Amritsar only to get an exit form signed from the authorities,” Fatima told The Hindu .
“We told the policemen that we can get the letter in the form of a fax from Amritsar. The officials in Amritsar also agreed to fax the form, but the officials in Delhi did not co-operate with us despite requests from the Pakistan High Commission. I am a lawyer and I know that it is alright to get the form faxed to the authorities. Finally, I had to take my ill mother to Amritsar to get the exit form,” she added.
“I had come to Delhi to show the place to my mother, but instead ended up having a harrowing time here,” she added.
‘Respect citizens’On being asked about the issue, police officers refused to comment. Press Attache, Pakistan High Commission Manzoor Ali Memon said: “I want to appeal to the Indian authorities to stop harassing our people like this. If the countries want better ties, they should respect citizens from both the countries.”
