UK-Based Professor Nitasha Kaul’s OCI Status Cancelled by Centre Over ‘Anti-India Activities’

An Indian-origin academic based in the UK, Professor Nitasha Kaul, has stated that the Government of India has revoked her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status on the grounds of "indulging in anti-India activities".

Kaul was deported from Bengaluru airport last year, just hours after her arrival.

Photo Credit: https://x.com/NitashaKaul

On 18 May, Professor Kaul took to social media to share the official notice of her OCI cancellation. She included an image of a section of the letter issued by the Indian government.

"IMPORTANT NOTE - I received a cancellation of my #OCI (Overseas Citizenship of #India) today after arriving home. A bad faith, vindictive, cruel example of #TNR (transnational repression) punishing me for scholarly work on anti-minority & anti-democratic policies of #Modi rule," Kaul posted on X.

The extract from the official document read: "...and whereas it has been brought to the notice of the Government of India that you have been indulging in anti-India activities, motivated by malice and complete disregard for facts or history."

It continued, "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."

Professor Kaul, a faculty member in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster, is a graduate of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Delhi University, and holds a master's and PhD from the University of Hull in the UK.

In a follow-up post, she recalled the incident from the previous year when she was deported shortly after arriving in Bengaluru. She described the episode as an affront to the Congress-led Karnataka government, which had invited her to speak.

"Denied entry to India for speaking on democratic & constitutional values. I was invited to a conference as (an) esteemed delegate by (the) Govt of Karnataka (Congress-ruled state) but (the) Centre refused me entry. All my documents were valid & current (UK passport & OCI)," the Kashmiri Pandit academic wrote in 2023.

She claimed immigration officials denied her entry by "informally" citing her criticisms of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The OCI status that Kaul referenced in her post has now been formally cancelled.

The Karnataka unit of the BJP had criticised both Kaul and the state's Congress government following her claims last year.

"Congress party has disgraced Indian Constitution by inviting a Pakistani sympathiser who wants India's break up," it said on X.

"It is now apparent that the Congress party is now using Karnataka as its laboratory to prepare ground for its divisive agendas, potentially undermining national unity & integrity," the BJP added.