Two Goa senior police officers booked for dual citizenship

The Panaji Town Police on Saturday booked two senior police officials, 48 advocates and over 500 others for illegally having dual citizenship.

The accused include Superintendent of Police Juse Allan De Sa, Police Inspector Edwin Colaco, six unknown persons working under the Bombay High Court at Goa and 500 unknown persons working/retired in government service in Goa and other individuals who have been booked under Section 14 of Foreigners Act, Section 4&5 of Registration of Foreigners Act and Section 12 of Passport Act for holding citizenship of India and Portugal.

They are accused of having dual citizenship of India-Portugal to the effect that prior to February 4, 2013, all the accused acquired the citizenship of Portugal by obtaining the ‘Bilhete de Identidade’ without surrendering the citizenship of India. The police said they are investigating the case.

RTI activist role

The cases have been registered on complaints of Mr. Kashinath Shetye, a right to information activist, in 2012 and pointed out the alleged acts of breach of national security and forgery.

JMFC judge Bosco G F Roberts here had directed the crime branch of the State police to register an FIR against BJP MLA Glen Ticlo, Goa Vikas Party MLA Caetano 'Caitu' Silva, superintendent of police Jose Allen de Sa and police inspector Edwin Colaco over the dual citizenship issue. However, the police have not registered cases against the two MLAs as they have stays from High Court in their favour.

Mr. Shetye had approached the JMFC after the investigating agencies failed to register an FIR on a complaint filed by him for allegedly possessing dual citizenship.

His contention was that those holding dual citizenship were a threat to national security.

Interestingly, according to a recent debate in the State Legislative Assembly, the problem of dual citizenship affects atleast 40,000 Goans as a large number of Goans have been known to register their names in Portuguese birth registry in Lisbon, a facility they were offered by Portugal as citizens of their erstwhile colony, to get access to European Union in pursuit of better career and economic prospects.

Many were known to be oblivious to the fact that their Indian citizenship and voting right in India could be challenged before Union Home Ministry.