MHA official suspended in bribe-for-visa case

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) The Union Home Ministry has suspended an official who was arrested last week for his involvement in illegalities in granting Indian citizenship or extending Long Term Visa (LTV) to Pakistani immigrants.

Deputed in the Foreigners Division of the Home Ministry as Senior Secretariat Assistant, Pankaj Kumar Mishra was suspended days after an internal inquiry was ordered against him to probe his role into allegation that he sought and took bribe from Pakistani immigrants.

"Misra has been suspended on the allegation of demanding and accepting money to issue long term visa to Hindu minorities from Pakistan. An internal inquiry against him is still on. We are taking action to find out the loopholes and to plug them," a Home Ministry official said.

The Ministry's move comes after it received some initial inputs about Mishra from Rajasthan Police's Anti-Corruption Bureau which arrested him along with three Pakistani immigrants -- Ashok, Govind and Bhagwan Ram -- last week. 

In its report to the Ministry, the Rajasthan Police said Mishra was part a "bribe-for-visa" racket which had been operating in the region for several years in connivance with government officials, who used an extensive network of agents, many of whom were Pakistani Hindu immigrants.

Every year, a large number of Pakistani Hindu migrants travel to India allegedly to escape religious persecution in their country. Several such families have settled in Rajasthan, especially Jodhpur.