British academic says her OCI status was cancelled for questioning ‘anti-democratic’ Modi regime

British academician Nitasha Kaul on Sunday said that her Overseas Citizen of India status was cancelled, alleging that the action was taken owing to her scholarly work on the “anti-minority and anti-democratic policies” of the Narendra Modi government.

Kaul, a professor of politics, international studies and critical interdisciplinary studies at London’s University of Westminster, said that this was a “bad faith, vindictive, cruel example” of transnational repression.

A Kashmiri pandit by birth, Kaul has been known for her criticisms of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological parent of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Overseas Citizen of India is an immigration status that allows foreigners of Indian origin to live and work in India indefinitely.

In a post on X, the academician and writer shared a purported communication from the Union government that accused her of indulging in “anti-India activities” that were said to have been motivated by a disregard for facts or history.

The message from the government read: “Through your numerous inimical writings, speeches and journalistic activities at various international forums and on social media platforms, you regularly target India and its institutions on the matters of India’s sovereignty.”

Commenting on her Overseas Citizen of India status being cancelled, Kaul said: “Know that arresting academics in India for speaking against hate is closely tied to removing access to country and family for academics outside India. Idea is to send a signal – don’t dare challenge us within and don’t dare analyse what’s going on to convey to audiences outside.”

In 2019, Kaul served as a key witness before the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, testifying about the human rights violations in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

In February 2024, on her way to speak at a conference at the invitation of the Karnataka government, she said she was denied entry into India and deported from the Bengaluru airport on the orders of the Union government. She said that she was barred from entering India “for speaking on democratic and constitutional values”.

At the conference, Kaul had been invited by the Congress government in the state to speak on the topic “Constitution and Democracy”. After she landed in Bengaluru, she was denied permission to leave the airport despite having a valid visa.

Also read: Right-wing attacks on academia are an existential threat to universities and democracy

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