India has barred Labour Party MP Debbie Abrahams of UK from entry into the country. She is an MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth and Chairperson of the all-party parliamentary group for Kashmir.
Officials at Delhi airport told her that her e-visa, which had been issued last October and was valid until October 2020, had been rejected. The trip to India during parliamentary recess was to visit family and friends.
Debbie said “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 and was then taken to a cordoned-off area marked as a deportee cell. He then ordered me to sit down and I refused. I didn’t know what they might do or where else they may take me, so I wanted people to see me.” She added.
Abrahams arrived in Delhi with her aide Harpreet Uppal on an Emirates flight from Dubai at 9am on Monday. After being denied entry she was flown back to the United Arab Emirates.
She has been an outspoken critic of the Indian government for stripping Kashmir of its semi-autonomy last August, demoting it from a state to a federal territory.