India cancels residency permit of UK-based scholar over government criticism

Nitasha Kaul says her Overseas Citizenship cancellation is punishment for exposing anti-minority and anti-democratic policies of Modi government

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) —  Indian-origin British academic and author Nitasha Kaul said Sunday that the Indian government has cancelled her long-term residency permit in retaliation for her criticism of its “anti-minority and anti-democratic policies.”

Kaul, who is of Kashmir origin, has been a consistent critic of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The revoked status, officially known as Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI), grants foreign nationals of Indian descent the right to live and work in India indefinitely, but can be cancelled unilaterally by the government.

In a post on X, Kaul shared a government notice accusing her of “anti-India activities.” The letter stated: “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.”

Kaul, who teaches at the University of Westminster in London, wrote, “Know that arresting academics in India for speaking against hate is closely tied to removing access to country and family for academics outside India. Idea is to send a signal – don’t dare challenge us within and don’t dare analyze what’s going on to convey to audiences outside.”

Kaul has testified internationally on India’s democratic backsliding and human rights record.

In 2019, she appeared before the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, where she spoke on human rights abuses in Indian-administered Kashmir following the Indian government’s abrogation of Article 370, which had granted the region limited autonomy.

In February 2024, Kaul was barred from entering India despite holding a valid visa.

She had been invited by the Congress-led state government of Karnataka to speak at a conference titled “Constitution and Democracy.”

Upon arriving at Bengaluru airport, she was detained and later deported.

She later said the entry ban was imposed “for speaking on democratic and constitutional values.”

Kaul’s case has drawn widespread criticism from academics and rights defenders, who see it as part of a larger pattern of targeting dissident voices within the Indian diaspora. 

Rights Activists argue the Modi government is increasingly using travel restrictions, visa denials, and legal intimidation to silence opponents — both inside and outside the country.