Modi US Visa Row: Forensic Report Says MPs' Letters to Obama are Authentic

The controversial letters sent to US President Barack Obama asking him to maintain the policy of denying Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's a visa are 'original and authentic', said a California-based forensic document examiner.

"Both the letters were 'created in a single event, and that the signatures found upon it are original/authentic wet ink signatures'. There is no evidence of 'cut and paste' or computer alterations performed on the documents," said Nanette Barto, a US Court-Certified forensic document examiner.

"Each signature was executed by a different hand thereby dispelling any doubt of one person executing more than one signature."

The forensic report was commissioned by the Coalition Against Genocide (CAG), a US based broad alliance of Indian organisations.

Two letters signed by 65 Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs were sent to Obama last year asking him to hold back on granting Modi a visa that was denied to him in 2005.

The letters came to light after CAG released them during BJP President Rajnath Singh's visit to America. But nine MPs including CPM leader Sitaram Yechury and KP Ramalingam (DMK) alleged forgery of their signatures on these letters.

"Allegations of forgery related to the MPs letters are frivolous, and intended to stifle discussion on the issues of justice and human rights that the letters have brought to the fore," said Dr Shaik Ubaid, President of Indian American Minorities Network, a CAG affiliate.

"The fact that nine MPs were unable to summon the courage to stand by their own signatures under heavy party pressure should not become an excuse for doubting the veracity of the letter," CAG said in a statement released on Sunday.

However, the MPs still maintain that they did not sign the letter. "I don't remember having signed any such letter," M P Achuthan of Communist Party of India told PTI. The statement was reiterated by DMK's KP Ramalingam.

When the issue of US visa for Modi was put across the state department, the spokesperson reiterated that Modi's application will be considered if he applies and that the US policy regarding his entry has not been changed. Surprisingly, the Gujarat CM has never applied for US visa since his application was rejected in 2005.