A day after being dismissed from service for “concealing” his marriage to a Pakistan national, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) constable Muneer Ahmed said on Sunday that he had followed due protocol by informing the department about his marriage at every step.
Ahmed was dismissed on Saturday over his marriage with Menal Khan, a resident of Sialkot in Pakistan. The couple got married on May 24, 2024, through video conferencing. The constable, who was earlier posted in the sensitive J&K zone, was transferred to Bhopal last week, after reports of his wedding to Khan came to light.
However, Ahmed said the termination is “unfair and wrong”, further noting that he had informed the department before his wedding and had also submitted documents of the couple’s nikah after the ceremony.
He said that he had first written to the CRPF seeking permission for the marriage on December 31, 2022. “In 2023, I had given the relevant documents, including an affidavit from the courts. The application was sent to the CRPF headquarters in New Delhi,” he said.
Ahmed stated that the CRPF approved his request in a letter dated April 30, 2024, which HT has seen. “I received a reply from headquarters that the agencies had verified my case. The letter said that when a person marries a foreign national, he/she only has to inform the department. The letter also said that their probe revealed the applicant had informed the department and that there is no need for a no-objection certificate,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Ahmed stated that the CRPF approved his request in a letter dated April 30, 2024, which HT has seen. “I received a reply from headquarters that the agencies had verified my case. The letter said that when a person marries a foreign national, he/she only has to inform the department. The letter also said that their probe revealed the applicant had informed the department and that there is no need for a no-objection certificate,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The jawan further alleged that the marriage was conducted via video conferencing after his father’s health deteriorated. Documents of the couple’s marriage, seen by HT, showed that the online nikah was solemnised in the presence of maulvis and signed in India by nine witnesses. It was registered in Pakistan on October 24, 2024.
“After the marriage, we submitted all documents, even photos and videos of the wedding,” he added.
Ahmed’s wife, who had arrived in India on a tourist visa on February 28, was set to be deported after India revoked visas issued to Pakistani citizens in the backdrop of the terror attack in Pahalgam. However, the Jammu & Kashmir high court on May 1 stayed her deportation as she had applied for a long-term visa.
CRPF, in its dismissal order, said that Ahmed had not informed the department of his marriage forthwith, which is a violation of Rule 21(3) of CCS(Conduct) Rules - 1964. “Since security of the nation has been compromised and there is a further threat to national security by harbouring a foreign national, in the interest of the security of the country, it is not expedient to hold an enquiry,” the order, which HT has seen, said.