SRINAGAR, Apr 9: Around 2.82 lakh passport verification applications were cleared and only 805 rejected in the past three years, Jammu and Kashmir Police said as it defended ”deep vetting” of activities of several sections, including politicians and scribes, noting it was needed to curb “anti-India propaganda machinery”.It said the current initiatives taken by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters have yielded dividends as the misuse of passports by anti-national elements has shown a downward trend.The police said 143 passport applicants including a prominent businessman and a journalist have misused the facility and became part of the propaganda machinery to spread hatred against the country.“The course correction was made from time to time to defeat the nefarious designs of anti-national elements, who are changing their trends to deceive the security forces, first by choosing the targets with clean records and later on radicalising them to resort to activities which suit them to accomplish their nefarious designs,” police said in a statement here.It said, “Deep vetting was mandatory to check the activities of religious leaders, politicians, lawyers and journalists to put curbs on anti-India propaganda machinery and to expose them. A good number of violators were put on exit control.” It said that loopholes were plugged to ensure that students with a clean image who are desirous of pursuing higher education outside the country do not face any hurdle in availing of the passport facility.”However, riders were necessary to rule out the cases having an adverse background and inclination towards terrorism or secessionism, who were clandestinely sponsored by different terrorist outfits to achieve their nefarious designs and glorify the terrorism.
