PANAJI
Director General of Police Alok Kumar directed an inquiry after a social media post alleging procedural harassment and misuse of power during a passport address verification process drew public attention.
The grievance was raised by X (formerly Twitter) user Praneet Dah, who posted a grievance that a CID official in Margao insisted on unnecessary documents not mandated under the passport renewal process.
“Pervasive corruption is beyond control in Goa, and this story is coming from someone whose father is a Civil Servant officer from the '99 batch. I can only imagine how ordinary citizens cope,” he posted.
Narrating the victim’s ordeal, Dah stated that the man had completed all formalities at the Passport Seva Kendra, but during the address verification visit, the CID personnel, identified as Rama Desai refused to accept his original Aadhaar card and a notarised lease agreement as proof of address.
"I provided a copy of a notarised lease agreement and my original Aadhaar card, both confirming my address. Despite this, the officer demanded an NOC from my landlord, which is not at all mentioned anywhere in the Passport renewal process. In fact, the website lists Aadhaar as sufficient proof of address, and I even provided a notarised rental agreement,” he wrote, posting the officer’s story.
He questioned, “What’s the point of @UIDAI’s Aadhaar card if it’s not accepted as address proof? Why notarise a lease agreement if it’s going to be ignored?”
Responding to the complaint, the DGP informed him about ordering an inquiry. “Having taken note of the story, I have asked SP SB to conduct an enquiry. Necessary corrective action will be taken accordingly. Thanks for bringing this to notice,” read the reply post.
After the police chief’s intervention, Dah later posted, “All settled now, thanks for the intervention.” However, the department has remained tight-lipped about the action taken, including against the CID personnel accused of demanding unnecessary documents.
