Indian origin professor Nitasha Kaul, invited to speak at Karnataka Constitution conference, denied entry into country

Kaul questioned how the world’s largest democracy could be threatened by her pen and the word.

“How is it okay for the central government to prevent a professor from attending a conference on the Constitution where she was invited by a state government, without providing any reason? This is not the India we cherish,” she said.

Also Read: ‘Constitution under threat, protect it to survive,’ urges Karnataka CM

‘Given no reason’

“I was given no reason by immigration except ‘we cannot do anything, orders from Delhi’. My travel & logistics had been arranged by Karnataka & I had the official letter with me. I received no notice or info in advance from Delhi that I would not be allowed to enter,” the professor said in a post on X.

She alleged that she was detained at the Bengaluru airport for several hours and was not provided with even basic amenities.

“I spent 12 hours in a flight from London to Bangalore, several hours at immig (sic) where they shuttled me here & there, provided no info on process, then 24 hours in a holding cell (no BA flight back until next day) under direct cctv w restricted movement, a narrow area to lie down and no easy access to food and water, made dozens of calls to airport for basic things as a pillow and blanket, which they refused to provide, then 12 hours on the flight back to London,” she said.

“I am a globally respected academic and public intellectual, passionate about liberal democratic values. I advocate for gender equity, challenge misogyny, promote sustainability, and uphold civil and political liberties, as well as the rule of law. Decades of my work speak for me,” she added.

IMPORTANT: 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). THREAD 1/n pic.twitter.com/uv7lmWhs4k

— Professor Nitasha Kaul, PhD (@NitashaKaul) February 25, 2024

‘Receive threatening messages’

Kaul said that even though her criticism of RSS was noted by the officials but she was never denied entry to India.

“Officials informally made references to my criticism of RSS, a far-right Hindu nationalist paramilitary, from years ago. Despite this, I have travelled to India numerous times since. Recently, I was invited by a state government but refused entry by the central government,” she said.

She also highlighted the threatening messages she received and the police actions against her elderly mother.

“Right-wing Hindutva trolls have threatened me for years with death, rape, and bans. In the past, authorities even sent police to intimidate my elderly, ailing mother at her home, despite my residence in the UK and my work having no connection to her — a pious, temple-going, sari-wearing retired Hindi teacher and my sole surviving parent.

“I’ve always dismissed such threats as petty. For example, since 2014, I’ve been disinvited from arranged talks at Nehru Memorial Museum & Library and had a lecture on gender at JNU withdrawn, all without any official reason or explanation. While speaking on AI & Buddhism in a third country, an Indian official tried to coerce me into giving them advice and information on that country, which I refused, registering a complaint in writing via email, which closed with Tagore’s poem: ‘where the mind is without fear’,” she added.

Highlighting her experience and expertise, she said she could outdo any supposed defender of Hinduism when it comes to knowledge about religion, including Sanskrit incantations.

“My origins lie in a downtown mohalla in Srinagar, Kashmir, and I was born in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh—the heartland of saffron ‘saffronisation’.

“This is about the threat to me and my safety, and the significant impact of my work that worries anti-democratic sensibilities. I am concerned that, given the repeated threats I’ve faced, any accident I encounter should merit closer scrutiny, as I mentioned after speaking as an expert witness at the US Congress,” she said.

Also Read: ‘India can’t be prosperous if people don’t understand its Constitution’

Slams the government over its actions

She also slammed the government’s actions against academics, journalists, activists, and writers from India.

“Banning academics, journalists, activists, and writers from India, despite having all valid documents, is pathetic. The evidence is public. Academic institutions within the country are being coerced into compliance (I have published on this), and now even outside the country, academic silencing seems to be a trend,” Kaul added.

“I’ve heard of academics in the diaspora being silenced through informal mechanisms, agreeing not to criticise the ruling party in exchange for access to India,” she alleged.

She added that she would continue her work on protecting democracy.

“If you care for democracy, if you care for emergent geopolitical realignments, if you prioritise civil and political liberties in different regimes, if you assess democracy qualitatively, then take notice. I will continue writing and meaning-making for the common good, on this and many other topics and themes,” Kaul said.

To government officials and policymakers, media personnel and academics to ensure that democracy and freedom of expression were protected.

“This has been a harrowing ordeal. The harassment, indignities, and attempted intimidation I’ve faced make me determined to continue doing the right thing, with empathy for those who are enrolled into this pernicious antidemocratic common sense anywhere due to ignorance, and pity for those who do it out of malice,” she said.

Adding that generations of her family had served important institutions of the state and government, Kaul said: “Such petty, vindictive behaviour is incredible!”

She also expressed apprehension about whether she could ever visit her mother again.

“The govt at centre in India refused me entry to a conference where I was invited by the state govt. Unless this is fixed, I join the ranks of the Tibetan exiles and Ukrainian exiles, and others throughout history who have faced the arbitrary exercise of brute unreasoning power,” she wrote on X.