A British writer and professor of Indian origin has vowed to fight back after Narendra Modi’s government revoked her long-term visa on allegations of indulging in “anti-India activities”.
Nitasha Kaul, a professor at the University of Westminster in London, said her Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card was cancelled by the Indian government, barring her from visiting her elderly mother. The card allows foreigners of Indian ancestry to visit, work and live in the country indefinitely.
An official notice to her said she has been “found indulging in anti-India activities, motivated by malice and complete disregard for facts or history” without referring to any particular such incident.
“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,” the notice said.
Ms Kaul claimed in an interview with The Independent that it is part of a wider crackdown on “anything, anyone who doesn’t agree fully with the government”.
“It’s reflective of increasing arbitrariness, which betokens authoritarian rule and part of a broad-ranging multidimensional vindictiveness towards people and academics who question because they want to make examples of us, signal to others that this will happen to you if you speak against us,” she said.
“Keep your head down and avoid saying anything critical of the government – that’s the broader message at play here. It clearly sends a chilling effect. Other academics and scholars will now think a hundred times before speaking out, because the government has made it clear that even asking the most basic questions can come at a steep personal cost.”
Ms Kaul, a Kashmiri Hindu academic based in London, writes on feminism, Hindu nationalism, Kashmir, and democratic backsliding in countries.
The 48-year-old was born in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, to Kashmiri Hindu parents and raised in Delhi before she moved to London for her further studies. She has a joint PhD in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Hull.
She has been a vocal critic of authoritarianism and has raised concerns about what she perceives as democratic backsliding of India. She has written several books, including Future Tense in 2020, fiction that sheds light on the complexities of lives in conflict-ridden Kashmir. In 2019, she testified before the US House committee on foreign affairs regarding human rights in Jammu and Kashmir after the revocation of the semi-autonomous status of the federal territory.
In the aftermath of India’s military action on Pakistan on 7 May, Ms Kaul wrote an opinion piece in The Conversation about the complexity of the Kashmir region and anti-Muslim sentiments ratcheted up by the Indian media. She emphasised the need for a nuanced understanding of Kashmir’s situation and addressing the underlying issues contributing to the conflict.
Ms Kaul also featured in an interview on Al Jazeera, where she discussed the implications of the attack and the broader geopolitical tensions. However, this interview was later removed from YouTube India, leading to discussions about censorship and the accessibility of critical viewpoints on sensitive topics.
In a 2023 article, Ms Kaul wrote about India’s “democratic backsliding” since 2014 when Mr Modi took power. She underscored that while India maintains the facade of procedural democracy, the substance of democratic governance such as minority rights, institutional accountability, and civil liberties – has been eroded under the BJP government.
It is not the first time Ms Kaul has faced the wrath of the Indian government. In 2024, she was denied entry at southern India’s Bengaluru airport and deported back to the UK. Ms Kaul said she arrived at Bengaluru to participate as a speaker in the two-day Constitution and National Unity Convention at the invitation of the state government.
But after landing in Bengaluru, she was denied permission to enter through immigration, despite having a valid visa. Ms Kaul said on Monday that even at that time the Indian government did not give any reason but called her “anti-national” and she later submitted a 20,000-word response comprehensively refuting these assertions .
“I didn’t then hear back for almost a year and on Sunday, I received this letter saying OCI has been cancelled.”
She said, this time, she has no option but to challenge the decision of the Indian government in court.
“It is heartbreaking for me that I can’t travel there and I can’t see my mom as she lives in India and she is elderly,” Mr Kaul said.
“I cannot be silenced. I will not stop doing what I do in the face of this intimidation and punishment.”
She said the “use of intimidation, violence, and silencing shows that they are resorting ever more to repression because you are confident of your power”.
“It really betokens a kind of insecurity, pettiness, and vindictiveness to do this kind of thing,” she said.
The pushback against her by the Indian government is part of a series of actions against academics, journalists and private companies critical of the Indian government and its recent military actions in Pakistan.
In Delhi, police arrested Ali Khan Mahmudabad over an anti-war social media post. The arrest of Mr Mahmudabad, a professor of political science at Ashoka University, sparked condemnation from activists and academics, who called it an attack on free speech.
Ms Kaul pointed to his case to say: “There’s a clear crackdown. Objective indicators of academic, media, and democratic freedoms show a steady backsliding. This isn’t just opinion – it’s measurable. If this continues, our ability to analyse, question, and hold power accountable will keep shrinking.”
Amnesty International condemned the latest actions of the Indian government against Ms Kaul and Mr Mahmudabad.
It said it was another example of the Indian government “crushing dissent in the country”.
“The authorities must stop punishing Nitasha Kaul just because she is critical of the government. This campaign of harassment and intimidation against dissenting voices must end now,” it said.
Reporters Without Borders ranked India 151st for press freedoms among 180 countries in 2024, a slight improvement from 159th place in 2023. The watchdog considers the situation for journalists in India “very serious”, citing increasing challenges to press independence and safety.
The Independent has reached out to India’s Ministry of External Affairs for comment.
