Kurar police, who withheld clearance, claim Malad resident lacks mandatory house ownership or tenancy document
Malad resident Shridhar Lakhe shows his expired passport, which was issued on the same address in 2015; (right) entry visas for various countries
Shridhar Lakhe, 31, from Pimpri Pada, Malad East, is facing a major livelihood crisis as his passport, reissued in February, was declared invalid due to a negative police verification report. According to information received, Lakhe has been employed with a shipping company and worked on cruises across various countries, including the US, France, Italy, the UK and South Africa, over the past seven years.
After returning to India in November 2024, he applied for the reissue of his passport, as his existing one was set to expire in eight months. His new passport was issued in February, and Lakhe booked an April 11 flight ticket to return to work in London. However, to his shock, his passport was rendered invalid following a negative police verification report.
For the past several months, Lakhe has been making rounds of the police station and the passport office in an attempt to resolve the issue, but to no avail. According to Lakhe, the Kurar police reported that the house where he resides is located on forest land and is considered encroached property.
Speaking with mid-day, he said, “We have been living in this house for the past 30 years. My siblings and I studied in schools and colleges while residing here. It’s not just us; hundreds of families like ours live in this area. We have ration cards, gas connection, bank passbooks, driving licences and voter ID cards, all registered at this address. I even got my passport issued from this same address in 2015.”
According to Lakhe, he submitted the same documents in 2015, but this time, the police sent a negative report citing that his house was located on encroached forest land. “Due to this, my police verification report is still pending, and without this clearance, my passport is invalid, making it impossible for me to travel abroad for work. I request the authorities to help me as my family is solely dependent on my earnings,” he added.
Social activist Ram Bhoite, the president of NGO Shivsangram Sanstha, said, “All the people living in this area are Indian citizens and have been residing here for years. They may not possess house ownership documents, but they have other important government-issued documents like Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, ration cards, driving licences and voter ID cards—the very documents through which they exercise their right to vote and help form the government. So, do these documents hold no importance?
I know dozens of people living in this area who already have passports. I also know many individuals who are working abroad and supporting their families here through their earnings. What will happen to them when it’s time to reissue their passports? Today, it is being said that people are living here by encroaching on forest land and that their police verification is being rejected because they do not have ownership documents or electricity bills. In that case, I would like to ask the government: How are passports and other official documents being issued to people living on encroached lands belonging to the collector, BMC and other departments? Were those not encroachments, too? Government agencies must look into this matter seriously and ensure a fair and consistent approach for all.”
A source working in the Passport Verification Department at Kurar police station explained that according to a 2022 notification, the documents required as proof of residence for passport issuance include any one of the following: MTNL (phone) bill, electricity bill, Mahanagar Gas bill, water tax bill, property tax bill, maintenance receipt or a registered sale deed of the house.
If the person resides in an allotted or rented house, any one of the following documents is required: MTNL bill, electricity bill, Mahanagar Gas bill, water tax bill, property tax bill, maintenance receipt, registered rent agreement, rent slip or a quarter allotment letter.
“In the present case, while the individual does possess ID proofs, there is no certified document related to the house ownership or tenancy, which is a mandatory requirement. We have reported this to the Regional Passport Office accordingly. Our responsibility is to check the applicant’s criminal background, verify the prescribed documents mandated by the government for passport verification, and forward the report based on that. In this case, we have followed the same procedure,” said Senior Police Inspector Janardhan Parabkar, Kurar police station.
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