NEW DELHI: India blocked more than 100 international speakers from attending a democracy summit organised by the opposition Congress party, a senior opposition politician said on Friday.
Those denied visas included a Norwegian journalist who had previously questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi about press freedom.
Shashi Tharoor, a Congress MP and former senior United Nations official, said 115 of the 315 speakers cleared by India’s foreign ministry were subsequently refused entry or had their visas cancelled, “apparently on the instructions” of the home ministry.
“It is completely unclear under what provision of law the government has taken such a drastic step,” Tharoor wrote on X.
“What a shame that a proud democracy has become so insecure that it must stifle any voices it fears will be critical!” he added.
Asked about the apparent denials, a foreign ministry spokesperson said “visa matters are sovereign functions of any country or any government”.
Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng said on Wednesday that her visa was cancelled shortly before she was due to travel to India, where she had been invited to speak on media and press freedom.
She had questioned Modi at a press briefing during his visit to Oslo in May.
The Editors Guild of India condemned the cancellation, saying the move smacked of “bureaucratic overreach” and calling on the government to disclose its reasons and reverse the decision.
The two-day summit, which opened on Friday in the city of Hyderabad, brings together around 1,000 delegates from more than 70 countries to discuss democracy, climate change, artificial intelligence and global cooperation.
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