Visa row shadows Congress’s Bharat Summit as 113 speakers face entry restrictions

• Around 113 of 315 speakers cleared by the Ministry of External Affairs for the Congress’s Bharat Summit have reportedly been denied entry into India.

• Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng said she had obtained political clearance and a visa but was subsequently told she could not enter the country

• Sources close to the organisers questioned the reported visa revocations, citing government guidelines on conference visas

Around 113 of the 315 speakers cleared by the Ministry of External Affairs to attend the Congress party’s Bharat Summit in Hyderabad have reportedly been denied entry into India, casting a shadow over the two-day gathering beginning on Friday, 13 November.

Sources close to the organisers told The Wire that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had revoked some participants’ visas after they had been issued. Around 202 delegates had reached India for the summit, scheduled for 13 and 14 November.

Among those affected is Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng, who said she had secured both political clearance and a visa for the conference before learning that she would not be permitted to enter India.

Lyng drew attention in India in May after asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Norway, whether he would take questions from the country’s press.

Speaking to The Wire on Thursday, she expressed disbelief at the decision and questioned why the home ministry had intervened in her proposed visit.

“I have political clearance and a visa because of the political clearance,” she said, adding that she had intended to visit India for only a few days to attend the conference.

A person close to the summit’s organisers also questioned the reported intervention, citing a government document setting out the requirements for conference visas.

According to the source’s account of the guidelines, discussions involving South Asia, national security or Kashmir require prior political clearance for foreign participants. The source maintained that the organisers had ensured the summit did not involve subjects falling within those categories.

The source also cited provisions identifying circumstances in which Indian missions must refer conference visa applications to the external affairs or home ministries.

These include applications involving nationals of Afghanistan, China, Sudan and Pakistan, people of Pakistani origin and stateless persons. Separate scrutiny applies where participants intend to visit restricted areas or locations affected by terrorism, militancy or extremism.

The source argued that the guidelines did not explain the reported withdrawal of visas for the participants concerned.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Congress leader and the party’s foreign policy in-charge Salman Khurshid said no delegates from neighbouring countries were attending the summit.

Lyng linked the decision in her case to her question to Modi in Norway and her criticism of the Indian government and businessmen Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani. Her explanation for the decision has not been independently established.

The reported restrictions have raised questions about why some participants who had received external affairs ministry clearance were subsequently unable to travel to India.

The supplied report did not include a response from either the Ministry of Home Affairs or the Ministry of External Affairs explaining the decisions or confirming the number of people affected.

With agency inputs