New Delhi: In an open letter, a group of India-based foreign correspondents have strongly protested the treatment meted out to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reporter Avani Dias, who left India last week saying the government had made it too difficult for her to work here any longer.
The thirty foreign correspondents noted that while officials did not expel Dias, they “have effectively pushed out a foreign correspondent on the eve of an election that the government describes as the largest democratic exercise in the world”.
“Foreign journalists in India have grappled with increased restrictions on visas and journalism permits for those holding the status of Overseas Citizen of India. The circumstances of Ms. Dias’s departure are further cause for concern,” their open letter read.
It continued: “We call on the Indian government to facilitate the vital work of a free press in line with India’s democratic traditions.”
Their full letter is reproduced at the end of this report.
Dias is South Asia bureau chief for the ABC and has reported from the region for the last two and a half years, the ABC said.
She said she received a call from India’s external affairs ministry saying a report she did on allegations that Indian government agents may have been involved in a Canadian Khalistan supporter’s killing had “crossed a line”.
Last month at the Union broadcasting ministry’s behest, YouTube blocked Indians from viewing this report, saying the government order was “confidential” but came under the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Dias said the external affairs ministry called her days after her report was blocked in India and told her she would be denied a routine visa extension to stay in the country.
She was told she breacher her visa by making a “documentary”, but the ABC noted that she and other journalists with the broadcaster had “filed 30-minute pieces for the program for years without issue”.
The ABC said that the Indian government overturned its decision not to renew Dias’s visa – it gave her a two-month extension – after lobbying from Australian officials but that this came “less than 24 hours before Dias was due to leave the country”.
She said on X (formerly Twitter) that a government directive also denied her accreditation to cover the general elections.
“It felt too difficult to do my job in India. I was struggling to get into public events run by Modi’s party, the government wouldn’t even give me the passes I need to cover the election and the ministry left it all so late, that we were already packed up and ready to go,” the ABC quoted Dias as saying.
She added: “It’s by design. The Narendra Modi government has made me feel so uncomfortable that we decided to leave.”
Official sources said Dias had violated visa rules but that it had agreed to renew her visa anyway.
“Dias was found to have violated visa rules while undertaking her professional pursuits. [In spite] of this, on her request, she was assured that her visa would be extended for the coverage of the general elections. Her previous visa was valid till 20th April 2024,” the sources said.
They added: “She paid the visa fee on 18th April and her visa was extended till end June the same day. She, however, chose to leave India on 20th April.”
On Dias saying she was denied accreditation to cover the elections, the sources said journalist visa holders only needed permission to access polling booths and counting stations but that this permission could not be granted “while the visa extension is under process”.
“It is pertinent to note that other ABC correspondents – Meghna Bali and Som Patidar – have already received their letters,” they said.
In February, French journalist Vanessa Dougnac, who had been the longest serving foreign correspondent in India, left the country after the government issued a revocation of her Overseas Citizen of India card for alleged concerns over her reporting.
When news of the government’s action against Dougnac broke, a group of 30 foreign correspondents based in India expressed its “deep concern” at the move in an open letter.
Dias was among the 30 correspondents who signed the letter.
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April 23rd, 2024
We the undersigned foreign correspondents based in India would like to register our strong protest at the treatment by Indian authorities of our colleague, Avani Dias, South Asia bureau chief for Australian broadcaster ABC.
Ms Dias, who has covered India since January 2022, left the country on Friday, the first day of the election. She departed after the government told her that her reporting on the Sikh separatist movement (reporting that has since been blocked in India) had “crossed a line” and they would not renew her journalism visa. Though she was granted a two-month visa extension the day before her departure, it was made clear to her that she would not receive accreditation to cover the election. Thus, though not technically expelling her, Indian authorities have effectively pushed out a foreign correspondent on the eve of an election that the government describes as the largest democratic exercise in the world.
Foreign journalists in India have grappled with increased restrictions on visas and journalism permits for those holding the status of Overseas Citizen of India. The circumstances of Ms. Dias’s departure are further cause for concern. We call on the Indian government to facilitate the vital work of a free press in line with India’s democratic traditions.
Alban Alvarez
David Asta Alares
Andreas Babst
Côme Bastin
Sebastien Berger
Rita Cenni
Catherine Davison
Carole Dieterich
Léa Delfolie
Lisa Dupuy
Hannah Ellis-Petersen
Angélique Forget
Peter Hornung
Sean Gleeson
Chris Kay
Glen Kugelstadt
Sophie Landrin
Marion Laouamen
Shan Li
Mujib Mashal
Jeremy Page
Benjamin Parkin
Maren Peters
Sandra Petersmann
John Reed
Naila Saleem
Lena Schipper
Salimah Shivji
Diaa Hadid
Antoine Védeilhé
