A professor of Indian descent residing in the United Kingdom who sought entry into India to participate in a state government-sponsored conference on the Constitution found herself embroiled in controversy after being denied access, prompting her to respond to detractors on social media platforms. Nitasha Kaul, a London-based academic of Kashmiri Pandit heritage, expressed her dismay at the situation, attributing the ordeal not to her personal humiliation but rather to what she characterized as the actions of a "preposterously insecure regime."
Kaul recounted the events that unfolded on Sunday, detailing her denial of entry upon arrival at Bengaluru airport and subsequent deportation by immigration authorities without explanation, save for the cryptic assertion of receiving orders from Delhi. She emphasized the lack of prior notification or communication from Indian authorities regarding her inadmissibility into the country.
The professor had been extended an invitation by the Karnataka government to serve as a speaker at the 'Constitution and National Unity Convention - 2024,' an engagement that underscored her multifaceted roles as a novelist, writer, and poet, among other pursuits.
However, her exclusion from the event sparked swift condemnation from the Karnataka branch of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which swiftly branded her as an "anti-India element" and a purported member of the 'Break India Brigade.' Furthermore, the BJP sought to tarnish Kaul's reputation by labeling her a "Pakistani sympathizer" and publicizing excerpts from her written works on social media platforms.
Reacting to these allegations, Kaul took to social media on Monday to refute the accusations leveled against her, asserting, "I am not married to a Pakistani, not a Muslim convert, not a pawn of China, not a puppet of the West, not a communist, not a jihadist, not a sympathizer of Pakistan, not a supporter of terrorism, not anti-India, and not part of any nefarious group." She emphasized her identity as a critically thinking woman and highlighted the distressing nature of her encounter, attributing the humiliation not to herself but to what she perceived as the overreach of an insecure government.
In her response, Kaul underscored her resilience in the face of adversity, portraying herself as a symbol of resistance against authoritarianism.
