Passport issue: Shia cleric Kalbe Jawad alleges harassment

Lucknow: Noted Shia cleric Kalbe Jawad, who has been asked by authorities to submit his passport within 10 days in view of cases pending against him, approached Ministry of External Affairs today alleging that the Regional Passport Office was trying to harass him in connivance with the Lucknow district administration.

He sent a letter to Ministry of External Affairs in which he wrote, "Regional Passport office (RPO) in connivance with district administration is trying to harass me. The cases against me mentioned in the letter sent by RPO were withdrawn in 2013 and the then DM Anurag Yadav's letter on Apr 23, 2013 mentioned that."

The cleric also wrote a letter to Regional Passport officer asking him whether he could issue notice on the basis of cases mentioned against him.

"How many persons with similar cases have been asked to surrender their passports," Jawwad asked RPO claiming that he was being "targeted" for speaking out against "anomalies" pertaining to Hussainabad trust.

The RPO, through a letter on April 1, had asked him to surrender his passport within 10 days.

"You are directed to surrender your passport within 10 days of receiving this letter. No receipt of a satisfactory response within the stipulated period may result in impounding of your passport under 10(3)(e) of Passports Act, 1967," the letter said.

Jawad was told that information has been received from police that a number of cases are pending against him.

Jawad, however, said, "A revenge is being taken against me as I have been raising my voice against anomalies committed by the district administration in the Hussainabad Trust".

"Arbitrary changes have been effected at the Chhota and Bada Imambara and other historical monuments by the district administration," he added.