From India and Pakistan to Sweden, an academic’s encounters with (un)intelligence agencies

On November 10, 2020, I received a letter from the Embassy of India at my home in Sweden informing me that I had been barred from entering India. In addition, the letter included a “show cause” notice, asking me to provide reasons why my Overseas Citizenship of India should not be canceled. An OCI is an immigration status that allows foreigners of Indian origin to live and work in India indefinitely.

The official reason for this action was my alleged involvement in “inflammatory speeches and anti-India activities”. I submitted my response, fully aware that it would likely be disregarded. As anticipated, my OCI was canceled.

Subsequently, I appealed to the High Court in Delhi. The court revoked the Indian government’s order due to the absence of evidence supporting their claims of my so-called anti-India activities. However, within two weeks, the Indian government once again canceled my OCI. In response, I filed another appeal to the court, which then requested the Indian government to provide justification for their decision.

After several months, the government stated to the court that Indian intelligence agencies had determined my activities to be detrimental to the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India. They claimed that the evidence was classified as a state secret and...

Read more