New Delhi Parneet Singh, a young passport officer, has gone beyond the call of duty and become a saviour to wronged women in the state of Punjab, notorious for marriage fraud perpetrated by citizens residing abroad.
Outraged by the infamous ‘holiday marriages' being reported in his home state, the civil services officer joined the Jalandhar passport office in 2010 with the strong conviction that something had to be done to put the erring husbands in the dock.
"Rather than blaming the system or delving into why no action was taken on the complaints, I formed a grievance cell to address the issue," he recalls.
He spoke to Gulf News in an exclusive interview.
GULF NEWS: You are termed a messiah in Punjab by women who had no option but to reconcile to their fate when men, after marrying them, deserted them.
PARNEET SINGH: I run a single-window system and personally meet every individual who comes to the office with a grievance. There are various types of cases to handle, including delayed passports, deportations and ‘holiday marriages'. All I am doing is to contribute to the improvement of the system. And being a native of Punjab, I know the nature of the problems here.
The most crucial of them is that of an alarming number of women being deserted by NRI [non-resident Indian] husbands who marry them while holidaying in India. They leave the country alone, never to call their wives abroad. The situation has been particularly grim in the Doaba region. It just struck me one day that I could use my powers as a passport officer to address this social issue. So I started a Women's Grievance Cell in my office.
How has the situation changed for the victims since the time you joined?
We tell women who have been deserted by their husbands to file an FIR [First Information Report] with the police and submit a written complaint to us along with a proof of marriage. Thereafter, we issue a show cause notice to the suspect and finally impound his passport under Section 10 (3) of the Passport Act. Also, instructions are sent to all airports from our side so that the groom is unable to leave the country.
How is action taken in cases where the husband has already left the country?
In case the offender has left and has no intention of coming back to India for fear of being caught, all one has to do is sound the consulates or the embassies abroad and wait till the passport turns up for renewal. This way, when the records are checked, they insist on an NOC [no-objection certificate], which is not given from our end. And the person faces deportation.
Isn't it surprising that despite a number of such incidents, people do not verify the credentials of the prospective grooms before marrying off their daughters?
In Punjab, especially in the Doaba region, there is a craze to go to a foreign land. People are in such a hurry to marry their daughters to NRIs that without investigating about the boy and his family, they go ahead with the marriage. The notion is that once the daughter goes abroad, she will call the entire family to settle there. We could say that girls become sacrificial lambs for the interest of the family.
Are such cases reported even now?
Many are old cases, though incidents are reported even now. But I feel, our initiatives are having a deterrent effect.
The National Commission for Women statistics show that out of the 30,000 cases, 15,000 suspects belong to the Doaba region alone. But how is it that only a few have been booked?
Doaba is a backward region and the girls belong to a humble background. The hope of getting a good life lures them. It is seen that many girls' families do not report the cases as they are unable to fight against the influential families the boys belong to.
How many passports of such suspects have been impounded until now?
We have registered a total of 307 cases and impounded 84 passports until now. The process continues. In at least half a dozen cases, due to our intervention, the disputes were settled out-of-court and compromise reached between the families after adequate compensation was given to the girl.
Have there been cases of men being extradited to India in such cases?
Since extradition of people does not come under our jurisdiction and can be dealt with only at a higher level, we do not have a say here.
Generally, to which states do such people belong?
Out of the more than 20 million NRIs, one-third are Punjabis. The cases that come to us are about NRI men from the UK, Canada, the US and Italy.
How can NRI women approach you while they are residing in a foreign land and have been cheated by their husbands?
We cannot take up those cases, unless women come to India and file an FIR. The reason being that the FIR that is filed in a foreign land does not allow us to take action under Indian laws. The authenticity of the person has to be established and we have to work according to our own laws.
What preventive methods are being taken to curb such marriages?
Since March 2008, registration of marriages has been made compulsory. It acts as a legal document and is kind of an insurance that helps if something goes wrong. It is advisable for a married woman to preserve certain documents which can come handy in any eventuality. These include, a photocopy of her passport, social security number of her NRI husband and permanent address and contact number in the foreign country. But the foremost need is for parents to first thoroughly investigate the antecedents of the boys before marrying their daughters.
Profile of a hero
- Parneet Singh was born on May 22, 1975 in Amritsar, Punjab, to Amarjit Kaur and Dr Swarn Singh.
- He did his early education at General Gurnam Singh Public School in Sangrur.
- Graduated from Sanatan Dharma College, Chandigarh - 1996.
- Joined the Civil Services in 1998.
- Did his MBA (Finance) from Lovely Professional University - 2007.
- Played the lead role in a Punjabi film Lakh Pardesi Hoiye - 2008.
- Joined the Regional Passport Office in Jalandhar - 2010.
— N.P.
