2 min readPatialaMay 28, 2010 01:08 PM IST
First published on: May 28, 2010 at 01:08 PM IST
A senior Punjab police officer said he was denied visa by Canada as he had served in areas where counter-insurgency operations were carried out in the state during the militancy period.
Patiala’s SSP Ranbir Singh Khatra said on Friday that it was the prerogative of the Canadian government to grant him a visa but content used in denial letter was not acceptable.
The Canadian embassy in India twice denied me the visa only because I had served in areas where counter-insurgency operations had been carried out,” he said.
The Canadian High Commission,over the last few years,has denied visas to a number of senior serving and retired officials of the armed forces and intelligence establishment,claiming that their organisations or they themselves have served in sensitive areas like Jammu and Kashmir and engaged in violence and human rights violations.
“I am proud to have contributed to keeping peace in the region as a part of Punjab Police in that (militancy) period,and I felt really bad that at a time when the world is fighting terrorism,Canada is targeting us,people who actually fought terrorism,” Khatra said.
“There is no case against me,nor have I ever been convicted by any court of law,so how can they make such comments?” he asked.
“As far as human rights are concerned our country has the best record as compared to others following which our forces have the largest share in UN peace keeping forces deployed in other countries,” he said.
Khatra was denied visas by Canada in 2008 and 2009. On the first occasion,Khatra had wanted to go to Canada on a personal visit while on the second occasion,he wanted to to participate in the golf event of the World Police and Fire Games in British Columbia in 2009.
Khatra said that he had earlier won the runners-up trophy at the All India Police Golf Tournament.
Recipient of Police Medal by President in 1993,he had served in Tarn Taran,Mansa and Batala in Amritsar range during the counter insurgency operations against militants in Punjab.
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