Representative image (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Monday announced that declaration of criminal record would now be mandatory for those applying for an Indian visa. This move is aimed at preventing people with a history of child sexual abuse from travelling to India.
According to a report by The New Indian Express, Maneka Gandhi wrote on Twitter, “It has now been decided that an appropriate questionnaire and a declaration will be incorporated in the visa application form, which will have to be filled up by visa applicants/foreign nationals.” She also thanked Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh for considering her request and implementing it.
The Union Minister said her proposal came in the light of “complaints of serial child sexual abuse offenders managing to visit India”. She further tweeted, “This step will certainly be a strong deterrent for perpetrators of such heinous crimes.”
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