New Dehli: Debbie Abrahams, a Member of the British Parliament and the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Kashmir, has been denied entry to India. Arriving at Delhi Airport on at about 8.50 am on Monday 17th February she was told that the e-visa that had been issued last October and was valid until October 2020 had been rejected.
Ms Abrahams commenting on what happened, “Along with everyone else, I presented myself at the immigration desk with my documents including my e-visa, had my photograph taken and then the official looked at his screen and started shaking his head. Then he told me my visa was rejected took my passport and disappeared for about 10 minutes. When he came back he was very rude and aggressive shouting at me to ‘come with me’. I told him not to speak to me like that & was then taken to a cordoned off area marked as a Deportee Cell.
He then ordered me to sit down & I refused. I didn’t know what they might do or where else they may take me, so i wanted people to see me. He disappeared again when I rang my sister in law’s cousin, Kai, who I was meant to be staying with. Kai got in touch with the British High Commission & he tried to find out what was going on. After lots of different immigration officials came to me, I tried to establish why the visa had been revoked and if I could get a ‘visa on arrival’ but no-one seemed to know. Even the person who seemed to be in charge said he didn’t know & was really sorry about what had happened. So now I am just waiting to be deported … unless the Indian Government has a change of heart. I’m prepared to let the fact that I’ve been treated like a criminal go, & I hope they will let me visit my family in this private visit.”
Shadow Foreign Minister for South Asia Afzal Khan MP
Read More: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/feb/17/india-denies-critical-labour-mp-debbie-abrahams-entry-to-country-kashmir
Link1: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/british-mp-debbie-abrahams-critical-of-move-to-end-special-status-to-j-k-denied-entry-into-india-say-2181336?pfrom=home-bigstory
Link2: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/british-mp-debbie-abrahams-who-chairs-uk-kashmir-panel-denied-entry-to-india-6272305/
Link3: https://www.geo.tv/latest/272809-british-mp-highly-critical-of-iok-move-denied-entry-into-india
Link4: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/oldham-mp-refused-entry-india-17761715
Link5: https://theprint.in/india/came-on-cancelled-visa-british-mp-critical-of-article-370-move-denied-entry-into-india/366723/
Links6: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-51531981
