Kashmiri Pandit prof in UK denied entry to India to attend event on invitation of Karnataka govt
Karnataka Government to attend an event here was denied entry when she landed at Bengaluru airport and was then deported, according to her posts on social media platform X.
Professor Nitasha Kaul, a Kashmiri Pandit academic based in London, in a series of posts on X claimed she was given no reason by immigration officials at Bengaluru airport and received no notice or information in advance from the Indian government that she would not be allowed to enter the country. There was no immediate comment from the Karnataka government, which had organised a two day 'Constitution and National Unity Convention -2024' on February 24 and 25, to which Kaul was invited as a speaker. Kaul's bio on the social media platform states that she is a novelist, writer and poet, among other things.
«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, sharing pictures of the invitation extended to her by the Karnataka government and other conference-related communications.
In her post on X, Kaul said that authorities unofficially indicated that she was denied entry into India as she has criticised the RSS in the past. Reacting to the development, the Karnataka BJP was quick to label the professor an «anti-India element» and a part of what it called a 'Break India Brigade', criticising the Karnataka Government and Chief
