Nitasha Kaul, a British writer of Indian origin and professor of politics at the University of Westminster in London, said in a post on X on Sunday that she was denied entry into the country on Friday and deported from Bangalore airport on the orders of the Union government, “for speaking on democractic and constitutional values”.
Kaul had been invited by the Congress government in Karnataka to speak at its Constitution and National Unity Convention on Saturday and Sunday to speak on the topic “Constitution and Democracy”. After she landed in Bengaluru, she was denied permission to leave the airport despite having a valid visa.
Academic and British-Indian professor, Nitasha Kaul, encountered a refusal of entry upon arriving at Bengaluru airport and subsequently faced deportation from India, as per her account shared through a series of tweets. Kaul, aged 48, asserted that she had been invited by the Karnataka government to participate in a conference, but immigration authorities turned her away, purportedly citing her previous criticisms of the RSS, a right-wing Hindu nationalist organization.
“India’s denial of entry to me, despite my advocacy for democratic and constitutional principles, is disheartening. I was extended an esteemed delegate invitation by the Government of Karnataka (a state governed by the Congress party), yet the central government barred my entry. My travel arrangements were duly facilitated by Karnataka, and I possessed all necessary and valid documents (including a UK passport and OCI),” tweeted Nitasha Kaul, a Kashmiri Pandit and professor at the University of Westminster in the UK.
She expressed bewilderment over the lack of a specific explanation from immigration officials other than references to directives from Delhi. “Despite having official documentation provided by Karnataka, I received no prior notification from Delhi regarding the denial of entry,” she added.
“My body of work spanning decades should speak for itself. The officials informally cited my historical criticism of the RSS, an ultra-conservative Hindu nationalist group, despite my numerous previous visits to India. Despite being invited by a state government, my entry was obstructed by the central government,” she further noted on Twitter.
Kaul detailed her distressing experience, including lengthy waits at immigration, followed by 24 hours of detention in a confined area with limited facilities, and ultimately a return flight to London with inadequate support and amenities.
In addition, Kaul highlighted the persistent threats and harassment she has endured from right-wing Hindutva trolls, mentioning previous instances of intimidation directed at her elderly mother, despite her own residence in the UK and the unrelated nature of her work to her mother’s life.
This led to a fight between Congress and BJP
Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad slammed the BJP-led Centre, saying Kaul’s deportation was “unfortunate” and an “insult” to the state of Karnataka. Meanwhile, the Karnataka BJP took to X to thank security agencies at the immigration for catching an “anti-India element” and termed Nitasha Kaul a “Pakistani sympthatiser”.
The Karnataka BJP swiftly responded to Kaul’s tweets, criticizing the Congress party and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for extending the invitation to the author. The BJP accused the Congress of employing Karnataka as a platform for its divisive agenda, potentially jeopardizing national unity, and expressed gratitude to security agencies for preventing the purported entry of an “anti-India element.”
BJP Karnataka further added, “No money to spend on drought relief or developmental needs of Karnataka, but Siddaramaiah is happy to finance the Break India Brigade in an effort to appease Rahul Gandhi and save his CM Chair, all in the name of Dr. Ambedkar’s constitution. What a disgrace,” Karnataka BJP tweeted.
Kaul is known for her Anti-India, Anti-Hindu and Anti-RSS BJP stand
Nitasha Kaul is a professor of politics, international relations, and critical interdisciplinary studies at the University of Westminster in London.
In 2019, Ms Kaul served as a key witness before the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, testifying about human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, which had granted special status to the region.
“I have traveled to India numerous times since. I was invited by a state government but refused entry by the central government,” she wrote.
However, her thoughts and tweets are evident here and show her deep seethed hatred against India, Hindus, BJP and RSS.
She has been criticized for being an indirect denier of the Hindu ethnic cleansing in Kashmir by jihadi groups. She is indeed an anti-hindu, anti-India person and rightfully denied entry to our nation. She is a blot to Kashmiri Hindus who have faced genocide.
We may be agree or disagree on whether Kaul’s views can be construed to be in violation of this sub-clause, but there is no reason why a holocaust denier should be given freedom to offer her dubious intellectual wares here. She is entitled to her views, but India is not obliged to give her a platform. If the Karnataka government thinks she does, she can anyway address them over a Zoom link.
