Indian immigration had no role in disallowing Nepali citizen’s travel: MHA

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has clarified that the Indian immigration authorities had no role in disallowing a Nepali citizen from travelling, and that the matter has been wrongly portrayed as discrimination against Nepali nationals.

The ministry said that India values its strong relationship with Nepal and assured that no Indian authority harbours any bias or discrimination against Nepali citizens, an official statement said.

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The MHA said it had been reported that a Nepali citizen heading to Berlin was stopped at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and sent back to Kathmandu.

The Home Ministry further informed that the passenger had arrived from Kathmandu on an Air India flight and was transiting through Delhi, where she was stopped while boarding her connecting Qatar Airways flight.

The ministry said that it was the airline that decided not to allow her to continue her onward journey to Germany, considering her visa validity, and flew her back to Kathmandu.

This is usually done in accordance with the destination country’s rules and requirements.

The Nepali citizen, Shambhavi, later rescheduled her travel dates and travelled to Germany via another route from Kathmandu.

According to the MHA, international transit passengers are not required to approach Indian immigration for their onward journey, as this is a matter between the airline and the passenger, with absolutely no role played by Indian immigration authorities.