AMRITSAR: Members of an NGO from Paris have asked Union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to take up cases of Indians living in asylum in France. President of Paris-based human rights body Aurore Dawn, Iqbal Singh Bhatti said a delegation of the NGO met Swaraj during her recent visit to Paris and handed over a memorandum to her. The document explained how both Indian asylees in France and their legally immgrated relatives whose passports have expired are unable to go back to their motherland.Sushma is on a tour of European nations to discuss ways to strengthen the India-EU strategic partnership. Iqbal Singh informed her that hundreds of Indians have sought asylum in France on different grounds. Since their Indian passports have expired, they are not able to go home to meet their relatives, he said.“Kin of many Indian asylees have arrived in France on visa and their children have also been born there but the Indian embassy refuses to give them services, including renewal of their passports, forcing them to stay back in France and not travel to India even in the event of the death of their relatives,” said Bhatti.Most of the asylees arrived in France to make quick money. When they failed to do so, they managed to take political asylum on different grounds, prominently for fear of being arrested by the police if they returned. They have been living as immigrant residence card holders.Indian refugees include Sikh hardliners who took asylum on forged recommendation letters from political parties. Earlier, Delhi MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa took up the issue of Indian refugees living in France with the Union external affairs minister. Bhatti said the minister patiently listened to the issues of Indian refugees and assured to look into the matter at the earliest.

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