When Tanvi Seth and her husband Anas Siddiqui went to Lucknow's Passport Sewa Kendra, little did they know that will be subjected to humiliation, for getting married to each other!

Tanvi is a Hindu woman and Anas is a Muslim who have been married for over 11 years now and have a 6-year-old daughter. 

Reportedly, when they were at the Passport office, the concerned official shouted at Tanvi and insulted her in front of everyone. Talking about her ordeal, she told the Times Of India, “When I reached counter C5, the official, Vikas Mishra, told me there was an issue with my file since I had married a Muslim, and yet retained my maiden name.”

© BCCL

She further said, “He shouted at me and insulted me in front of everyone and sent me to the office of an additional passport officer, who was sympathetic to me and asked me to reach the main branch in Gomtinagar on Thursday.”

@SushmaSwaraj hello ma'am I type this tweet with immense faith in justice and in you and ironically with a lot of anger / hurt and agony in my heart because of the way I was treated at the Lucknow passport office at Ratan Square by Mr. Vikas Mishra the reason because I marri 1/2

— Tanvi Seth (@tanvianas) June 20, 2018

According to Tanvi, her documents were complete yet her file was stopped and the official even asked her husband to convert to Hinduism and take pheras in order to get his passport renewed. In fact, Tanvi too was asked to “change her name, as is the duty of all girls after marriage”.

@SushmaSwaraj behaviour. I have never felt so insulted in the last 12 years of my marriage with my husband. It is my personal choice to choose a name I want to after marriage. This is our family matter and last thing I expected to hear at the passport office was 2/3

— Tanvi Seth (@tanvianas) June 20, 2018

Disheartened by the way she was treated, she sought help from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Twitter. “He told Anas to convert to Hinduism for his passport to be renewed. This is a case of moral policing and religious prejudice. I was made to feel insulted; I broke down,” she wrote in the tweet.

@SushmaSwaraj Ma'am I never ever imagined that in a place like passport office we would have a people who are moral policing the citizens. He dint just put my passport on hold he even put my husband's @5220manas passport on hold. This is clear grudge. I was shocked at this 1/2

— Tanvi Seth (@tanvianas) June 20, 2018

In the series of tweets she posted, she even wrote that “I never felt so insulted in the last 12 years of my marriage with my husband. It is my personal choice to choose a name I want to after marriage.”

@SushmaSwaraj 2/2 married a Muslim and not changed my name ever. He spoke to me very rudely and was loud enough for others to hear while discussing my case. I have never felt so harassed ever before. The other workers at the office acknowledged his rude demeanour.

— Tanvi Seth (@tanvianas) June 20, 2018

@SushmaSwaraj it is your duty to change your name after marriage. The person who spoke to my husband later said if your wife's case would have come to me there wouldn't have been issues because her papers are complete.

— Tanvi Seth (@tanvianas) June 20, 2018

In fact, a regional passport officer said, “Their passports have been issued. A show cause notice has been issued to the official who was at fault, action will also be taken. We regret the incident and will ensure it is not repeated.”

@SushmaSwaraj @rpolucknow Since the time we walked in to the RPO office this morning we were treated very well by Mr. Piyush Verma and all the officials. They apologised for the misconduct of the official yesterday. They looked at our documents and issued passports to us in 1/3 https://t.co/kx7PQo92po

— Tanvi Seth (@tanvianas) June 21, 2018

In a turn of events, the accused official reportedly said he was just performing his duty as per the rules. “I asked Tanvi Seth to get the name 'Shadia Anas' endorsed as it was mentioned on her Nikahnama, but she refused. We have to do thorough checks to ensure no person is changing their name to obtain a passport,” he said.

We understand Mr. Mishra might be doing his job, But, if we look at Article 25 (1) of the Indian Constitution, it says subject to public order, morality and health, every citizen is allowed to freely practice, profess and follow any religion.

After the incident and going through the humiliation, Tanvi and Anas were issued the passports and the official has been reportedly transferred.

We don't support or oppose any of the concerned parties, nor do we wish to comment or give an opinion on the matter.