Eminent Kashmiri Author Nitisha Kaul, Detained at the Airport, was Invited to Attend an Event in Karnataka
Image Source: OutlookIndia
A renowned Professor & writer of Kashmiri-Indian descent who leads the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Westminster University claimed yesterday on X that she was denied entry by immigration officials at the Bengaluru airport. Reportedly, she was invited to speak at an event organized by the Karnataka government on “The constitution and unity of India.”
The Karnataka social welfare minister H.C Mahadevappa had sent a letter to the professor to attend the conference as a delegate of the event, saying she would add a unique vantage point and her body of work would enrich the conference. However, upon arriving, she was stopped unreasonably and deported back to London after a 24-hour detention in a holding cell, the writer claimed.
In a post on X, she said, “Denied entry to India for speaking on democratic & constitutional values. I was invited to a conference as an esteemed delegate by the government of Karnataka (a Congress-ruled state), but the Centre refused me entry. All my documents were valid & current (UK passport & OCI).” She also added that she was held in a narrow area with no easy access to water & food and was even refused basic amenities like a pillow & blanket during her hold-up.
She talked about how she has been hounded by the RSS & Hindutva brigade for her critical remarks on them, in a series of posts on X, saying “Right-wing Hindutva trolls have threatened me for years with death, rape, ban, etc. In the past, authorities have sent police to my elderly ailing mother’s home to intimidate her, even though I live in the UK & my work has no connection to her, a pious temple-going dezhor-wearing retired Hindi teacher & my sole surviving parent.” She further alleged that the officials at the airport said that they had orders from Delhi to stop her.
The BJP opposition in Karnataka lambasted the Congress government, which is at the helm of the State. They said that CM Siddaramaiah has no shame and is threatening the integrity of India by channeling funds of the taxpayers to Urban Naxals, Anti-nationals, and riots accused to destabilize India. They further said Congress has disgraced our Indian constitution by inviting a Pakistani sympathizer who wants the division of India.
Specializing in issues revolving around Kashmiri women and the rise of Neo-liberal nationalism in India, she is a staunch advocate of constitutional and Human rights values and also the co-editor of the book Can You Hear Kashmiri Women Speak? Narratives of Resistance & Resilience, an assortment of essays by women of Kashmir, recounting their trauma, sexual violence, and their plight in the post-revocation of the special status of J&K.
Nitisha, in an opinion piece in The Washington Times, wrote, “The work ahead for Kashmiris is to change the scripts we have inherited. For decades, the loss and suffering of Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims have been treated as a zero-sum game. Now more than ever, young Kashmiris need to chart a path toward reconciliation, solidarity, and allyship with one another,” and termed the abrogation of Article 370 as an act disregarding multiple UNSC council resolutions.
This is not the first time dissenters have been stifled. Journalists, activists, and lawyers have been subjected to restrictions in the past. In 2019, a Srinagar-based author/journalist Gowhar Geelani was stopped from traveling to Bonn from the New Delhi airport. He was also not given any concrete reason as to why he was denied to travel and was subsequently detained by the airport officials after being briefed by the Intelligence bureau.
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