Press Club of India raises concern over passport issues faced by two senior journalists

R. Rajagopal, former editor of The Telegraph. File | Photo credit: Special arrangement

The Press Club of India (PCI) on Monday (June 29, 2026) expressed concern over the passport-related issues faced by two senior journalists, including former editor of The Telegraph R. Rajagopal, whose name was deleted from the electoral roll of West Bengal.

The PCI said the deletion of Mr. Rajagopal’s name from the electoral roll allegedly resulted in his passport not being renewed for more than 100 days, allegedly after an “adverse” police report.

“Therefore, Mr. Rajagopal was also unable to attend his daughter’s wedding in the United States despite having a valid US visa. It is appalling that in the world’s largest democracy, the bureaucracy has to decide who is a citizen and who is not,” a PCI statement said.

“When a respected editor-in-chief and a well-known personality like Mr. Rajagopal faces difficulties in proving his Indian citizenship in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls conducted by the Election Commission (EC) in this state, the serious question that arises from this case is what hardships thousands of ordinary citizens have to endure during this process,” the statement said.

The PCI said the passport of another high-profile journalist and author, Samrat Choudhury, was confiscated earlier this month, citing an “adverse” police verification report.

“According to Mr. Choudhury, his passport was issued through Tatkal as early as 2022. As per rules, police verification of a passport issued under Tatkal is usually done later. Mr. Choudhury said that he has held an Indian passport since 1993 and his name is in the electoral rolls of Meghalaya, where he was born,” PCI said.

“No reason was given to doubt his Indian citizenship. Mr. Choudhury said his passport was taken into government ‘safe custody’ on Passport Seva Divas,” it said.

The PCI urged the EC and the Ministry of External Affairs to restore the name of Mr. Rajagopal in the electoral roll and the passports of the two senior journalists and also show sympathy to all those who have suffered a similar situation.

Published – 29 Jun 2026 22:01 IST