New Delhi: Even as the Indian government claimed that Debbie Abrahams’s visa was revoked before her travelling to India and that she was informed in advance, the British MP has asserted that she had not seen or received any such intimation.
Abrahams, who heads the British All-party parliamentary group (APPG) on Kashmir, was deported from India after she arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday morning. In her initial statement, the Labour MP had said that on arrival, she was rudely informed by immigration officials that her visa had been revoked.
Till now, the Indian government has not officially released a statement. However, information has been released over the past two days, attributed to government sources. On the first day, there was only a terse response that Abrahams was denied entry as she didn’t have a valid visa to visit India.
Next day, there was a six-point explanation issued by government sources. It had stated that while Abrahams had been given a business e-visa last October, it was revoked on February 14. The reason given was that the visa cancellation was “on account of her indulging in activities which went against India’s national interest”.
In a short interview with The Wire from the Dubai airport while waiting for her flight to Islamabad, Abrahams said that she had not received any intimation from the Indian government that her visa had been revoked before she left the UK. “I had not got any information on my official parliamentary address,” she asserted. Also, she has not seen any such details if it was sent to her personal address, “as I have been offline since Thursday (February 14)”.
The home ministry had apparently shared a copy of the cancellation letter sent to Abrahams with some sections of the media, but it has not been made public.
Abrahams pointed out that the visa was obtained in her official capacity. “I had got it as part of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s delegation to India… I did not visit finally, but the visa was there,” said the Labour MP from Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency.