Nepali asylum seeker Kishor Dangol, who has lived in Kirkcaldy for over a decade, is set to be deported this week after his latest bid to stay in the country failed.
Earlier this year, Mr Dangol’s bid to remain in Scotland hit a major setback when the Court of Session upheld the Home Office’s decision to have him deported. Lord Bonomy threw out the appeal, stating there would be no “grave risk of serious harm” should Mr Dangol be returned to his country of origin.
He previously managed to stave off deportation in 2008, when he was arrested and taken to Dungavel just before Christmas. He was liberated after friends rallied round to pay his legal fees so he could lodge an appeal.
Kirkcaldy MSP David Torrance described Mr Dangol as a “gentleman.” He said, “It is the fourth time that Kishor has gone to sign on and been arrested and taken to Dungavel. He doesn’t have any personal belongings with him and to treat a gentleman, because Kishor is a gentleman, in this way is appalling.
“I’m going to see what I can do and who I can contact to try to resolve this, but I’m not very hopeful. The UK Border Agency have obviously made up their minds. They have not taken his background into account and have just decided to deport him.”
Mr Dangol was last night being held at Dungavel immigration removal centre after being arrested at the weekend. It is understood he will be taken to Manchester on Wednesday and put on a flight to Nepal in a matter of days.
It is the fourth time the 48-year-old has found himself at Dungavel in recent years. He was last brought there after narrowly escaping deportation in May. He had been taken as far as London and was just hours from boarding a flight when his lawyers convinced the Court of Session in Edinburgh that he should be granted another appeal.
However, Mr Dangol’s court date, which had been set for earlier this month, was thrown out to allow the Home Office to consider the recent campaign to keep him in the country.
It appears that a petition with 1200 signatures calling for him to be allowed to stay and support from politicians including First Minister Alex Salmond has failed to convince the Home Office.
When Mr Dangol went to sign in at Leith Police Station on Friday morning, as he was required to do three times a week, he was detained and taken to the immigration centre in South Lanarkshire.
Having settled in Fife after arriving as a performer at the Edinburgh Festival in August 1999, Mr Dangol has been an active member of the Nepal Scotland Association. He has also been caught working illegally.
The Home Office has been trying to have him deported but his lawyers have been fighting to keep him in Scotland on the grounds that he has built a life here and has established close ties with the community.
Speaking to The Courier from his cell at Dungavel, he said, “I went to sign and they arrested me. It’s really disappointing because 1200 people have signed a petition and I’ve had lots of support from organisations and even Alex Salmond.
“I’m worried that I’m going to be taken to London or elsewhere.”