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OPINIONCOMMENT

Published:July2,201503:11IST|Updated:July2,201510:02IST
July2,2015
EXCLUSIVE

HowIwasdeportedfromIndia
CHRISTINEMEHTA

AP
Despitetheneedforreformamongsttheranks,theIndiangovernmentremainsextremelysensitivetotheimageofitsArmyandother
securityforces.PictureshowsparamilitarysoldiersonpatrolinSrinagar.
InanexclusivefirstpersonaccounttoTheHindu,ChristineMehtarecallshowshewasforcedtoleaveIndiaostensiblyforherscathing
reportonthedraconianAFSPAinJammuandKashmir
OnFriday,November8,2014,asIwasleavingmyhouseinBengaluruwithafriend,threepoliceofficersapproachedus.Iknewwhythey
werethere.Thenightbefore,IhadreceivedamysteriousphonecallfromtheForeignerRegionalRegistrationOffice(FRRO)inBengaluru.
ThewomanofficialonthephonetoldmetoreporttotheFRROthenextday,aholiday.Isoughtreasons.Sherefused,insistinginsteadthatI
reporttotheFRROurgently.AnAmericancitizenofIndianorigin,IhadbeenlivinginBengaluruforaboutthreeyears,workingonavalid
visaasaresearcherforAmnestyInternationalIndia(AII).ItoldherthatIwouldconsultwithmyemployerandreverttotheFRROon
Monday.
Thepoliceofficerswhohadcomeformewantedmetogowiththemtoapolicestation.WhenIaskedforareasontheysaid
itwasconfidential.Youneedtocomewithus,andthenwewillescortyou,oneofthemsaid.Iwastoldthatacomplaint
hadbeenfiledagainstmebytheFRRO,andthattheofficerwasrequiredtoescortmetotheoffice.Heclaimedhedidnt
knowthereasonsforthecomplaintoritscontents.
Irefusedtogowithhim.ItoldhimIwasnotlegallyobligatedtoaccompanyhimtoapolicestationortotheFRROwithout
alegitimatereasonoranarrestwarrant.Frustrated,oneoftheofficerscalledandspoketosomeonerapidlyinKannadafor
afewminutes.Hethenhandedoverhisphonetome.Themanontheotherendofthelinerepeatedwhattheofficerhad
toldme.Madam,youarerequiredtocometothepolicestation,hesaid.ThenthepolicewillescortyoutotheFRRO.I
againinsistedonbeinggivenareason.ImentionedtohimmyphoneconversationwiththeFRROofficialtheprevious
night.IwilllookintothematterandseekanappointmentwithyouonMonday,Isaid.Itseemedtomollifyhim.Thepoliceofficersleft.
Alittlelater,IreceivedacallfromShashikumarVelath,thedeputydirectorofAII.HeclaimedtohavespokentohissourcesattheMinistryof
HomeAffairs(MHA)andtoldmethattheFRROofficialswouldpresentmewithalistofvisaviolations.Headvisedmetopreparemyself
againstintimidation.TellthemyouvebeendoingresearchinJammuandKashmirinatransparentmannerforthepasttwoyears.Theymay
evenpresentyouwithanoticetellingyoutoleaveIndia,hesaid.Dontworry,mysourcestellmeitsjustforshow.
IhadbeenworkingasaresearcherandcampaignerforAIIinBengalurusince2012.IhadobtainedaPersonofIndianOrigin(PIO)cardso
thatAIIwouldbeabletohiremewithoutthecomplicationsassociatedwithbusinessandemploymentvisas.
Atthetime,IwasunawareofanyrestrictionsonworkingasaPIO.IwasallowedtoworkandliveinIndiawithoutavisafor15years.Asof
September30,2014,theOverseasCitizenofIndia(OCI)cardanidenticalimmigrationcardandthePIOcardweremerged.Bothcards
grantanypersonwhoseparentsorgrandparentsemigratedfromIndiapermissiontoliveandworkinIndiawithoutavisaforlife.Indias
progressivevisapolicymakeslivingandworkinginIndiaeasyformostsecondandthirdgenerationIndianslivingabroad,exceptforthose
workinginenvironmentalandhumanrights.

WorkonAFSPA
In2014,IwasonthecuspofpublishingareportontheabusescommittedunderthecontroversialArmedForcesSpecialPowersActin
JammuandKashmir.Despitetheneedforreformamongsttheranks,theIndiangovernmentremainsextremelysensitivetotheimageofits
Armyandothersecurityforces.Thestatetermsanyonewhoraisesquestionsabouttheconductofthesecurityforcesasantinational.
TherehadbeensignsofofficialuneasewithmyworkinJammuandKashmir.Inearly2013,anofficerfromtheMHAhadvisitedouroffice
afterIreturnedfromatriptotheState.HeclaimedthatheneededtoconductabackgroundcheckbecauseaPakistanijournalistwith
suspectedtiestoterroristgroupshadlistedmeasareferencewhileapplyingforanIndianvisa.IhadnotbeenintouchwithanyPakistani
journalist.
WhenhediscoveredthatIwasaPIO,andthatmygrandfatherhadmigratedfromIndiatotheU.S.,hestoppedquestioningme.Headvised
metobewaryofwhatKashmiristellmeastheyhaveaspecialinterestintarnishingIndiasimage.
InOctober2014,AnanthGuruswamy,thenthechiefexecutiveofAII,toldmethatthegovernmenthadinformedhimthatitwouldnolonger
toleratemyresearchinJammuandKashmir.Theconversationsparkedadiscussionaboutmyfutureintheorganisation.
Noticetoleave
ThisbringsusbacktotheMondaywhenIhadanappointmentwiththeFRRO.MohanMundkar,theDirectorofOperationsatAII,
accompaniedmetotheheadquarters.Iwassummonedintoaroom,butMr.Mundkarwasnotallowedinside.Threeofficerswaitedforme
theydidnotgivemetheirnamesorranks.AyoungwomanofficeraskedtoseemyOCIcardIgaveittoher.Asecondofficer,aman,handed
meapapertitledLeaveIndiaNotice,whichorderedmetoleaveIndiaimmediately.Ilookedforareasoninthenotice,buttherewasnone.
Neitherwasthereanoptiontoappeal.
AsIhaddonebefore,Iaskedtheofficialsforareason.Theysaidtheydidntknowtheyhadonlybeenfollowinginstructions.Youneedto
leavein24hoursifpossible,oneofficersaid.Thesooneryouleavethebetter.Theremusthavebeensomemixupwithyourpaperwork.Im
sureyoucansortitoutintheU.S.
Iwaspanicstricken,butIsmiled.Ihavebeenlivinghereforfouryears.Ihavemywork,home,andfriendshere.AndOCIisalifetime
status,Isaid.Icantleavein24hours.Herepliedsympatheticallybutfirmly:Thereisnothingwecando.Maybewecangiveyouafew
days?
BeforeIleft,IaskedthewomanofficerformyOCIcard,butsherefusedtogiveittomesayingitwascancelled.Sheadded:Ihavetokeep
this.YouarenolongeranOCI.Youhavetoleavequicklyasyouhavenolegalstatustostayhere.
Onmywayback,IrealisedthatthechancethatImightbedeportedbecauseofmyresearchwaslikelierthaneverbefore.Laterinthe
afternoon,Mr.Velathcalledagain.Youshouldpreparetoleaveinthetimeyouvebargainedfor:tendays.ThatsourplanA,hetoldme.
Wethoughttheywouldgiveyouareprieve,butthatlooksunlikely.Theywanttomakeanexampleofyou.
Althoughnoofficialreasonsformydeportationwereprovided,Icouldtakeaguess.InFebruary2012,whenAmnestyInternationaldecided
tomovemetoaresearchposition,wediscoveredarestrictiveclauselistedonIndiasBureauofImmigrationwebsitestatingthatOCIandPIO
wereprohibitedfromconductingresearch,missionaryormountaineeringactivitieswithoutthepriorpermissionoftheGovernmentof
India.AsIwasbeinghiredtoresearchabuseofpowerandhumanrightsinJammuandKashmir,therewasadebateabouttheconsequences
Imightface,includingdeportationandlossofmyoverseascitizenshipstatus.
TherearehundredsofPIOandOCIcardholderswhohavebeenworkingasjournalists,developmentworkers,andresearchersinIndia
withoutanyproblems.Theprovisionseemedoutdated.TheAIImanagementwasconfidentthattheUnitedProgressiveAlliancegovernment
wouldntusethelittleknownandapparentlyrarelyusedprovisionagainstme.Itdecidedthatattemptingtoapplyforpermissionwouldonly
drawunnecessaryattentiontomywork,andinvitethegovernmenttodenypermissionoutright.
Iwas23thenandhadgraduatedinjournalismfromauniversityinNewYork.IhadreportedalittleonhumanrightsissuesinLatinAmerica.
BeinghiredasaresearcherforAmnestyInternationalwasanexcitingopportunity.IdidntasktoomanyquestionswhenIwashired.
Aftermydeportation,IdiscoveredthattherestrictiononresearchisalsoencompassedintheseparateresearchvisaissuedbytheIndian
governmentforresearchersandscholarsconductingresearchprojectsinIndia.Accordingtotheresearchvisarequirements,evenOCIand
PIOcardholdersarerequiredtorequestpermissionundertheresearchvisaguidelines,andcanbeissuedpermissiontoconductresearchfor
uptothreeyearswithapossibilityforextension.Iftheresearcherssponsoringorganisationisanongovernmentalone,thenithasto
undergoabackgroundcheckfromtheMHA.However,thesespecificsarenotlistedanywhereinthePIOorOCIguidelinesonlyunderthe
researchvisaguidelines.Thus,fewPIOorOCIcardholdersworkingforNGOsgothroughtheprocesstoobtainpermission,andthe
governmentseemstohaveneverbeforerevokedanOCIstatusordeportedanyoneasapenalty.
TheU.S.ConsulateinChennaitoldmethatgiventhehistoricalprecedence,itishighlyunlikelythatIwillbeabletoreturntoIndiainthe
nearfuture.
CurrentclimateforNGOs
IleftIndiaontheeveningofNovember22,2014.SixmonthshavepassedsinceIwasdeported,butIhaverefrainedfromtellingmystory
publicly.NorhaveIseriouslyconsideredachallengeincourtuntilnow.Wouldspeakingoutaboutmydeportationeliminatethepossibility
oftheIndiangovernmenteverallowingmyreturntothecountry?WouldmyorganisationbetargetedifIspokeout,underminingthework
thatitisstrugglingtocontinuetodointhecurrentclimate?
Sixmonthsaftermydeportation,theNarendraModigovernmentcontinuestomuzzleNGOs.EvenorganisationssuchasAIIhavestruggled
toaddressquestionsthatarecriticalofthegovernment,knowingwellthatdoingsomightthreatenthesurvivaloftheiroperations.Richard
Verma,theU.S.ambassadortoIndia,wasrighttobeconcernedaboutthechillingeffectonIndiasNGOsandactivists.Likemany
individualsandorganisations,Istayedsilent,hopingthismightearnmeanotherchancetopublishorcontinuemywork.Yesterday,my
silencewasbroken.AmnestyInternationalpublishedthereportIspentnearlytwoyearsworkingon.Itwastimeformetospeakout.
MyideaofIndiaisacountryofthrivingdebate,intellect,anddiversityacountrythatshouldbeabletoconfrontitsdarkestaspectsand

rectifyitsmistakes.Therearemanystorieslikemine.Therearethousandswhohavefacedworse,includingimprisonmentandtorturefor
theirwork.MyhopeisthatIndiawontbeindifferenttothestoriestoldandthequestionsraisedaboutthetacticstheIndiangovernmentuses
tosuppressdissent.Ifindividualsaretargetedfornorecognisablecrimes,thenthisdiminishesthedemocraticessenceofacountrythat
pridesitselfasbeingtheworldslargest.
(ChristineMehtawasaresearcherwithAmnestyInternationalIndia.)
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