"We cannot do anything, orders from Delhi."
British writer and professor Nitasha Kaul said she was denied entry into India and deported back to the UK because of her opinions on “democratic and constitutional values”.
Nitasha, who is a professor at the University of Westminster, claimed she was blocked at the airport and denied entry due to “orders from Delhi”.
She arrived at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport to participate as a speaker in the two-day Constitution and National Unity Convention.
But after landing in Bengaluru, she was denied entry, despite having a valid visa.
Nitasha Kaul tweeted: “I was given no reason by immigration except ‘We cannot do anything, orders from Delhi’.
“I received no notice or info in advance from Delhi that I would not be allowed to enter.”
IMPORTANT: Denied entry to #India for speaking on democratic & constitutional values. I was invited to a conference as esteemed delegate by Govt of #Karnataka (Congress-ruled state) but Centre refused me entry. All my documents were valid & current (UK passport & OCI). THREAD 1/n pic.twitter.com/uv7lmWhs4k
— Professor Nitasha Kaul, PhD (@NitashaKaul) February 25, 2024
Nitasha allegedly spent several hours at immigration without an explanation about the situation.
She was then held in a cell for 24 hours under CCTV observation.
The cell only had a narrow area for her to lie down, without easy access to food and water.
Nitasha said: “[I] made dozens of calls to airport for basic things such as a pillow and blanket, which they refused to provide.”
The professor, who was born in India, claimed officials “informally made references to my criticism of the RSS, a far-right Hindu nationalist paramilitary from years ago”.
In 2019, Nitasha Kaul was a key witness before the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, testifying about human rights violations in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, which had granted special status to the region.
She said: “I have travelled to India numerous times since. I was invited by a state government but refused entry by the central government.”
For years, Nitasha has received rape and death threats from “right-wing Hindutva trolls” but dismissed them as not serious.
However, she was concerned for her safety, saying:
“If I come to any accident, it probably merits a closer look.”
After the 24-hour ordeal, Nitasha was deported back to London on a 12-hour flight.
and no easy access to food and water, made dozens of calls to airport for basic things as a pillow and blanket, which they refused to provide, then 12 hours on the flight back to London. pic.twitter.com/z6O5Jx2onB
— Professor Nitasha Kaul, PhD (@NitashaKaul) February 25, 2024
She compared herself to “the ranks of the Tibetan exiles and Ukrainian exiles, and others throughout history who have faced the arbitrary exercise of brute unreasoning power”.
Nitasha added: “Banning academics, journalists, activists, writers from India in spite of all valid documents is pathetic.”
Congress Party’s Rizwan Arshad slammed Narendra Modi’s government and called Nitasha’s deportation “unfortunate” and an “insult” to the state of Karnataka.
However, the BJP’s Karnataka wing thanked security agencies at immigration for catching an “anti-India element” and called Nitasha Kaul a “Pakistani sympathiser”.
Loading ...