Brussels, Ali Raza Syed, Chairman of the Kashmir Council Europe (KCEU), has expressed strong condemnation over the deportation of Kashmiri-origin British Professor Nitasha Kaul at Bangalore Airport by Indian authorities. This incident has sparked concerns over the freedom of movement, speech, and expression in democratic societies.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Professor Nitasha Kaul, a political science academic at the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom and a Kashmiri Pandit by origin, was denied entry into India upon her arrival at Bangalore Airport. Despite possessing all necessary travel documents, she was detained for several hours by the Indian immigration authorities and subsequently sent back to the UK. Professor Kaul, who has been vocal in her criticism of the Indian government’s policies under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was slated to attend a seminar on “Democracy and Constitutional Values” in Bangalore, hosted by the Karnataka State Government, currently under the administration of the Central Opposition Party Congress.
Ali Raza Syed criticized the Indian government’s actions as unjustifiable, highlighting the adverse implications on fundamental democratic principles, including freedom of movement and expression. He lamented the lack of transparency and justification from the Indian immigration authorities, noting that Professor Kaul received no prior notification or reason for the denial of entry.
The deportation of Professor Kaul, renowned for her academic contributions and critical viewpoints on human rights and democratic values, underscores a troubling precedent for international academics and critics of government policies. The incident has drawn attention to broader concerns regarding academic freedom and the state of democracy in India.