Labour MP Debbie Abrahams, who criticized abrogation of Article 370, denied entry in India

British MP Debbie Abrahams has been denied entry in India on Monday. Abrahams who arrived at Delhi Airport at 8:50 am was told that her e-visa has been rejected.

Abrahams who is also the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Kashmir, in her statement said: “Along with everyone else, I presented myself at the immigration desk with my documents including my e-visa, had my photograph taken and then the official looked at his screen and started shaking his head. Then he told me my visa was rejected took my passport and disappeared for about 10 minutes.”

The Labour party MP said that when the official returned, he was very rude and aggressive. He shouted at Abrahams and said, “Come with me”. She was then taken to a cordoned off area marked as a Deportee Cell.

“He then ordered me to sit down & I refused. I didn’t know what they might do or where else they may take me, so i wanted people to see me. He disappeared again when I rang my sister in law’s cousin, Kai, who I was meant to be staying with. Kai got in touch with the British High Commission & he tried to find out what was going on,” she said.

“After lots of different immigration officials came to me, I tried to establish why the visa had been revoked and if I could get a ‘visa on arrival’ but no-one seemed to know. Even the person who seemed to be in charge said he didn’t know & was really sorry about what had happened,” she said.

Abrahams added that she is just waiting to be deported, “unless the Indian Government has a change of heart”.

Debbie Abrahams has been a staunch crtic of the abrogation of Article 370. “We are gravely concerned at the announcement by Indian Home Minister, Amit Shah, that Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, has been removed by Presidential Order,” she had said.

“The unilateral decision made by the Indian government to remove Article 370 betrays the trust of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, dating back to the accession of 1947, and threatens to escalate tensions in the region even further. It also contravenes international law,” she had added.

She had also written to India’s High Commissioner to the UK “to express grave concerns regarding the Indian Government’s proposed removal of Article 370 from their constitution, which grants special status to Indian-controlled Kashmir”.