{"id":2628,"date":"2025-09-07T23:38:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T23:38:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/09\/07\/how-india-is-weaponising-immigration-control-to-silence-its-diaspora\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T23:38:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T23:38:20","slug":"how-india-is-weaponising-immigration-control-to-silence-its-diaspora","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/09\/07\/how-india-is-weaponising-immigration-control-to-silence-its-diaspora\/","title":{"rendered":"How India is weaponising immigration control to silence its diaspora"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Professor Nitasha Kaul, an academic specialising in politics and international relations at the University of Westminster, has been in the United Kingdom since she came to the University of Hull for postgraduate study in 1997. In the years since, she has published several books and more than 150 articles on topics like democracy, right-wing politics, Indian politics and Kashmir.<\/p>\n

A British citizen, Kaul retained her connection to the country of her birth as an overseas citizen of India (OCI) until recently. The OCI is a special status granted to individuals of Indian origin who have acquired foreign citizenship. It grants them a multiple-entry, lifelong visa for visiting India, allowing them to travel and stay without restrictions. OCI status is held by more than 4 million people worldwide.<\/p>\n

In May, Kaul\u2019s OCI was summarily cancelled. OCI cancellation is allowed under Section 7D of the Citizenship Act 1955 in circumstances of (1) fraud, (2) \u201cdisaffection towards the Constitution of India\u201d, (3) communication or trade with an enemy India is engaged with during a war, (4) imprisonment for more than two years or (4) if \u2018it is necessary so to do in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of India, friendly relations of India with any foreign country, or in the interests of the general public\u2019.<\/p>\n

Although the government is not breaking the law, its actions raise serious legal and human rights concerns. Its actions often blur the line between lawful revocation and punitive censorship. The revocations frequently lack transparency and procedural fairness \u2013 thus risking violation of legal norms. Overall, this trend raises significant concerns about freedom of speech, proportionality and adherence to the rule of law. It should be noted that domestic courts are resisting government actions.<\/p>\n

In Kaul\u2019s case, she was informed that her OCI status had been revoked with an official notice saying she has been \u201cfound indulging in anti-India activities, motivated by malice and complete disregard for facts or history\u201d without referring to any particular such incident. Kaul has been a strong advocate for democracy in India and has often criticised the government for its minority bashing and the right-wing Hindu organisation RSS for its divisive politics.<\/p>\n

An examination of global democracy indicators shows that Kaul\u2019s analysis disregards neither facts nor history. Freedom House\u2019s global freedom index ranks India as \u201cpartly free\u201d and describes how \u201cthe government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has presided over discriminatory policies and a rise in persecution affecting the Muslim population.\u201d This trend can also be seen in relation to religious and press freedoms. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said: \u201cIndia\u2019s media has fallen into an \u2018unofficial state of emergency\u2019 since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014.\u201d \u200b<\/p>\n

Kaul is not alone in facing retribution for her outspokenness. In the past nine years, the OCIs of more than 120 individuals have been cancelled by the Indian authorities. According to the independent Indian outlet The Wire<\/a>, this is a trend that is ramping up.<\/p>\n

Nearly half (57) were revoked in 2024 alone, and a further 15 were cancelled in the first five months of 2025. Most of those who have had their OCIs cancelled are journalists, activists and academics who have criticised the ruling party and challenged the rhetoric of Hindutva (Hindu nationalism).<\/p>\n

In 2022, Ashok Swain, a Sweden-based academic, had his OCI cancelled over his social media posts. The authorities accused him of \u201churting religious sentiments\u201d and \u201cdestabilising the social fabric of India\u201d but provided no specific evidence. Swain successfully challenged the cancellation in the Delhi High Court in 2023, an example of domestic courts resisting government actions.<\/p>\n

In December 2023, Raphael Satter, a United States-based journalist for the Reuters news agency who covers cybersecurity, espionage and abuse of power, lost his OCI after critical reporting and is now suing the Indian government.<\/p>\n

In recent years, India has witnessed relentless attacks on its democratic institutions. Those who criticise or question the ruling party \u2013 whether they are politicians, NGO representatives, campaigners, journalists or community leaders \u2013 have often been silenced.<\/p>\n

Every week brings new reports of imprisonment, intimidation, physical assault, defamation or deplatforming of critics. This silencing has intensified particularly after India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir in response to an attack in Pahalgam in India-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. In its aftermath, the government ordered X to block nearly 8,000 accounts, many of them belonging to journalists and media outlets, such as Free Press Kashmir, BBC Urdu and The Wire. As critical voices are being silenced at home, the Indian government is turning its attention to the country\u2019s diaspora.<\/p>\n

The Indian authorities\u2019 weaponisation of immigration controls\u00a0is part of a growing pattern, designed to create fear among diaspora members and stifle criticism.<\/p>\n

A 2024 report by the RSF found that Indian authorities use the OCI to \u201ceffectively blackmail\u201d journalists into silence.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0survey<\/a>\u00a0conducted last year by the Platform for Indian Democracy revealed that 54 percent of British Indians are concerned about India\u2019s current trajectory.<\/p>\n

From my interactions with members of our community, I can clearly see that many are reluctant to speak out about India\u2019s violations of human rights, fearing it might stop them from travelling to India.<\/p>\n

As British Indians \u2013 many among us OCI card holders \u2013 we must push back against these misuses of immigration controls. British Indians remain deeply connected to India through our families, friends, culture and community. The current treatment of diaspora members by the BJP and the curtailment of their freedoms goes against the values enshrined in India\u2019s post-independence constitution, which guarantees justice, liberty, equality and fraternity.<\/p>\n

The UK, despite being home to more than 2 million British Indians, recently concluded a\u00a0significant trade deal<\/a> with India without any reference to issues of democratic backsliding in the country. Given the UK\u2019s unique relationship with India and the size and sentiments of its British Indian population, it is in a strong position to ask challenging questions of the current political regime. Silence serves only to strengthen the position of the BJP.<\/p>\n

As Modi calls for Indians abroad to contribute to the country\u2019s development, this must include the right to criticise and question without fear of retribution. If the increasing hostility and repression of those who challenge the Indian government continues, we will only be allowed to visit our homeland on the terms of the ruling party, and our ability to be part of India\u2019s progress will diminish. The roots that connect the diaspora to home are key to India\u2019s democratic fabric. Chipping away at them only leaves India\u2019s democracy diminished.<\/p>\n

The views expressed in this article are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera\u2019s editorial stance.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Professor Nitasha Kaul, an academic specialising in politics and international relations at the University of Westminster, has been in the United Kingdom since she came to the University of Hull for postgraduate study in 1997. In the years since, she has published several books and more than 150 articles on topics like democracy, right-wing politics, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}