• By Mayukh Debnath
  • Sun, 25 Feb 2024 11:41 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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Indian-origin academic Nitasha Kaul on Sunday alleged that she was recently denied entry to India on 'orders from Delhi', claiming that she was turned back by immigration from Bengaluru airport despite having the required documents. Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Kaul said that she had arrived from London to participate in a conference on the invitation of the Karnataka government.

"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)." she said in a thread on X. She also shared several screenshots of the purported invitations from Karnataka government and what appeared to be a note to British Airways from the immigration department.

The UK-based professor further said in her post: "I spent 12 hours in a flight from London to Bangalore, several hours at immig 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."

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Asserting that she is "not anti-Indian" but "anti-authoritarian & pro-democracy", Kaul insinuated that she was "refused entry by the central government" over her past criticism of the RSS. She stated, "Decades of my work speaks for me. The officials informally made references to my criticism of RSS, a far-right Hindu nationalist paramilitary from years ago. I have travelled to India numerous times since. I was invited by a state govt, but refused entry by the central govt."

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Reacting to Kaul's claims, VHP functionary Girish Bharadwaj justified the alleged action against her and slammed the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government for inviting "such anti-nationals". "Why should such parasites lecture us on Constitutional Values? [Nitasha Kaul] you peddle bullshit against a country and expect us to give you a warm welcome? Shame on [Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah] and his government for inviting such Anti-Nationals," Bharadwaj posted on X.