Ambala: Sisters refused passports as they 'look Nepali'

The Ambala regional passport office came under fire on Wednesday for refusing to prepare passports for two women, stating that they "looked like Nepali citizens", according to an Indian Express report.

Sisters Santosh and Sushma approached the passport office with the required documents and requested the officials to issue their respective passports.

"When we went to the passport office at Chandigarh, they saw our faces and wrote that we are Nepali. They ask us to prove our nationality," one of the sisters told India Today. "We took the matter to Minister Anil Vij only after which the process of making our passport started."

The sisters met Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij at his residence in the morning darbar, who in turn directed Deputy Commissioner Ashok Sharma to address the grievances of the women, according to the IE report.

"I have taken cognisance of this as soon as it came to my notice," Sharma told India Today. "After my intervention, both the sisters were called by the passport office and now, their passport will reach them very soon."

A personal intervention and document verification were done by the commissioner and the passports were prepared.