UK-Based Professor Denied Entry to India Amid Controversy

In a heated incident, Nitasha Kaul, a 48-year-old academic originally from India and now living in the UK, claimed she was refused entry into India when she arrived at Bengaluru airport and was sent back.

Kaul, who had been invited by the Karnataka government for an event, stated that immigration officials mentioned her past criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist group, as the reason for her denial.

She highlighted that she had not received any prior notice or information from Delhi about the refusal, even though her trip was arranged by Karnataka, and she had an official invitation letter.

After being turned away, Kaul said she spent 12 hours on a flight from London to Bangalore, followed by several hours at immigration, and then 24 hours in a holding cell with limited movement. She claimed she was not provided with basic necessities like a pillow and blanket and had restricted access to food and water.

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

In response, the Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) quickly blamed the Congress party and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for inviting Kaul, accusing them of using Karnataka for divisive purposes and thanking security agencies for stopping what they called an ‘anti-India’ figure from entering the country.

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

Kaul, in her tweets, clarified that she is not against India but against authoritarianism and in favor of democracy. She raised concerns about academic freedom and freedom of expression following the incident.