Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng Svendsen says she was prevented from travelling to India after Indian authorities cancelled her visa shortly before her planned departure from Oslo on Wednesday, November 11. She was scheduled to speak about press freedom and the future of journalism at the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad on November 13 and 14, according to The Wire, reported by Scandasia.

Source: The Wire (via Scandasia)

Svendsen, a commentator with the Oslo-based newspaper Dagsavisen, said she had already received a visa and political clearance for the conference when the Indian Embassy in Oslo called her just ten minutes before she was due to leave for the airport and told her she could not travel. In a video posted on X, she alleged the cancellation followed “orders from above” in India's Ministry of Home Affairs. That claim is her allegation; no official order has been made public.

Source: Fact.net.in

Appeal to the Home Minister

In her video message, Svendsen appealed directly to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to reconsider the decision, saying there was still time for her to reach Hyderabad before her scheduled panel on the future of media. Bharat Summit organiser Pushparaj Deshpande expressed disappointment that she would be unable to attend, Maktoob Media reported, and Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain criticised the alleged last-minute cancellation, saying she had been denied entry despite a valid visa and political clearance.

Source: Maktoob Media

The Oslo question in May

Svendsen drew wide attention in May, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Norway, when at a joint press appearance with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre she called out, “Prime Minister Modi, why don't you take some questions from the freest press in the world?” Modi left without answering, and a video of the exchange circulated widely. Svendsen has suggested the visa decision might be connected to that questioning and her later criticism of the government — a link she alleges, which has not been established.

Source: The Wire (via Scandasia)

What is solid

  • Svendsen was invited to speak on media and press freedom at the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad on November 13-14
  • She posted a video on X on November 11 saying she was stopped from travelling despite having a visa and political clearance
  • The Indian government has not publicly explained the alleged cancellation

What is only claimed

  • Her allegation that the Ministry of Home Affairs ordered the cancellation on “orders from above”
  • Her suggestion that the decision was linked to her questioning of Prime Minister Modi in Oslo in May

As of Thursday, an official response from the Ministry of Home Affairs or the Ministry of External Affairs to her allegations was still awaited. The Wire reported it had sought comments from both ministries and had not received a response, and it remains unclear whether the alleged decision was connected to her previous criticism of the Indian government.

Source: Fact.net.in