Visa cancelled after ‘orders from above’, says Norwegian scribe invited to Hyd summit | Hyderabad News
Hyderabad: Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng Svendsen has said that her Indian visa was cancelled just a day after it was issued and barely 10 minutes before she was due to leave for the airport to board a flight to Hyderabad for the Bharat Summit. Helle was invited to speak on ‘The Future of Media’ at the summit on Nov 14. This was to be her first visit to India.The development comes months after Helle had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi – during his visit to Oslo on May 18 – why he was not taking questions from journalists. This was after Modi and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre made statements during a joint media interaction. Modi left without responding. Later, at a media briefing, she reportedly asked MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George about India’s human rights record and why Norway should trust a country where such violations continued.In an email chat with TOI on Thursday, Helle, who works for Oslo-based newspaper Dagsavisen, said the organisers had informed her last week that political clearance had been granted for her participation. After submitting the required documents on Nov 5, she was informed on Nov 10 that her passport, with the visa, was ready for collection.“But the Indian Embassy called me 10 minutes before I was leaving for the airport to tell me that my visa would not be valid upon entry to India. They did not want to elaborate to me in writing why it had happened, but apologised for the inconvenience,” she told TOI.Helle subsequently received an email from the embassy confirming that her visa had been cancelled and was no longer valid for travel. She said she had not been asked to submit any further documents or clarifications before the decision.In a post on X, she said the cancellation had come on “orders from above” in the Union ministry of home affairs. She also released a video message directly addressing Union home minister Amit Shah, questioning why his ministry had intervened despite her having been granted a visa.“I have political clearance. I have a visa. And I have a conference in Hyderabad, Telangana, waiting for me to arrive,” she said in the video.In the video, she questioned whether the visa decision was linked to her interaction with Modi in Oslo and her subsequent criticism of the PM and his govt. She also wondered whether her opinion pieces criticising Modi’s governance, her criticism of industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, and her coverage of the Cockroach Janata Party movement could have contributed to the decision.Helle said the summit organisers had made repeated attempts to resolve the issue. “It is very unfortunate how much of a hassle it is to host a political conference in the world’s largest democracy,” she said.“I am very sad that I do not get to go to the conference. I was excited to meet and engage in meaningful conversations with people in India and also others from all around the world,” she added. Helle said she had not yet approached Norwegian authorities and would evaluate her next steps.Reacting to the incident, the Congress, in a post on X, wrote: “Why are Modi and his government so afraid of questions?”
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