Police accused of protecting dual citizenship holder

Published On: August 20, 2018 07:21 AM NPT By: Suresh Yadav

JANAKPURDHAM, Aug 20: District Police Office (DPO) Dhanusha has been accused of attempting to protect a criminal with dual passport and citizenship of both India and Nepal.

Suresh Kumar Tulsyan, who has Indian citizenship, ration card and passport, acquired Nepali citizenship from the District Administration Office (DAO), Dhanusha on November 30, 2007. A year later, his son Ayush also received Nepali citizenship.

Following the Madhes movement of 2007, the government had distributed citizenships in rural areas of the country by deploying mobile teams. As it became easier for people to get citizenship then, Tulsyan succeeded in acquiring citizenship by mentioning a fake address in Janakpur-4.

As mentioned in his citizenship, his father’s name is Ramavatar Prasad while his mother’s name is Taradevi. Not just the citizenship but he was also able to obtain a Nepali passport. As claimed by the locals, he is also involved in criminal activities by using his Nepali identity.

Two weeks ago, some of the victims filed a complaint against Tulsyan at the DPO, Dhanusha with ‘proper evidences’. Police arrested him immediately following the complaint. However, instead of punishing him, he was released after two days. This greatly disappointed the victims. They started questioning the police for not taking legal action against him.

The DPO stated that he was released as they were denied more time for investigation. Not satisfied with the police response, the victims knocked the doors of the DAO. Adding to their woes, Prem Lal Lamichhane, acting chief of DAO, stated that they have no right to look into the case. Determined not let their culprit run free, the victims started drawing attention of local journalists.

When asked by journalists, Govinda Thapaliya, Superintendent of DPO said, “As holding dual citizenship is a crime in itself, we are investigating.” According to him, Tulsyan was released, as he had to go to Kathmandu for treatment.