UK writer Nitasha Kaul claims she was denied entry to India, then deported
- In Reports
- 11:28 AM, Feb 26, 2024
- Myind Staff
Nitasha Kaul, a UK-based academic and professor of Indian origin, said in a series of tweets that she was denied entry into India after arriving at the Bengaluru airport and subsequently deported. The 48-year-old genocide denier was invited by the Karnataka government to speak at a convention, but immigration officials refused entry to her by "informally" making "references" to Kaul's "criticism of the RSS", the Kashmiri-Pandit writer further claimed.
"Refused admission into India for delivering a speech on constitutional and democratic ideals. The government of Karnataka, a state run by the Congress party, invited me to a conference as an esteemed delegate, but the Centre denied me access. Kashmiri-Pandit Nitasha Kaul, a lecturer at the University of Westminster in the UK, tweeted, "All my documents were valid & current (UK passport & OCI)."
She claimed that the immigration gave her no specific reason barring "orders from Delhi". "My travel and logistics had been arranged by Karnataka & I had the official letter with me. I received no notice or info in advance from Delhi that I would not be allowed to enter," Kaul further tweeted.
"I spent 12 hours in a flight from London to Bangalore, several hours at immigration where they shuttled me here & there, provided no info on process, then 24 hours in a holding cell (no BA flight back until next day) under direct CCTV w restricted movement, a narrow area to lie down 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," Kaul added.
Her post on X went viral with many right-wing accounts asserting that if she had been stopped from entering India, it was the right thing to do as she spread misinformation.
Karnataka BJP was quick to respond to Nitasha Kaul's series of tweets, calling out the Congress party and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for inviting the author in the first place.
"It is now apparent that the Congress party is now using Karnataka as its laboratory to prepare the ground for its divisive agendas, potentially undermining national unity & integrity," the BJP tweeted.
The party also thanked "security agencies" for stopping "one such anti-India element" from "suspiciously entering India" before being detained at the airport.
Image source: X
Comments