New Delhi: A senior Australian journalist stationed in New Delhi has left India claiming that the Narendra Modi government refused to extend her visa because her reporting had “crossed a line”.
Avani Dias, the South Asia bureau chief of ABC News, posted on X that she had to leave the country “abruptly”, flying out on 19 April — the first day of India’s weeks-long general elections.
This comes a little over two months after French journalist Vanessa Dougnac, who was accused by the Indian government of “malicious” reporting and not complying with rules and regulations, claimed she has been forced to leave the country. Dougnac had said in a statement then that she had been ‘unfairly accused of prejudicing the interests of the state’ and that ‘it has become clear that she cannot keep living in India’.
In her X post, Dias said the decision to deny her an extension was finally overturned due to the Australian government’s intervention, but the Indian government would only give her another two months in the country. The visa came through less than 24 hours before she was scheduled to leave and it was too late, she alleged.
Dias said she was also told that her media accreditation to cover the Indian elections “would not come through because of an Indian Ministry directive”.
“We left on day one of voting in the national election in what Modi calls ‘the mother of democracy’,” she wrote on X.
Last week, I had to leave India abruptly. The Modi Government told me my visa extension would be denied, saying my reporting "crossed a line". After Australian Government intervention, I got a mere two-month extension …less than 24 hours before my flight. 1/2
— Avani Dias (@AvaniDias) April 22, 2024
We were also told my election accreditation would not come through because of an Indian Ministry directive. We left on day one of voting in the national election in what Modi calls "the mother of democracy”.
Hear more on our podcast Looking for Modi: https://t.co/rn6wTkdI21
— Avani Dias (@AvaniDias) April 22, 2024
Dias later took to her podcast ‘Looking For Modi’ to claim that the Indian government’s move was purportedly because of her documentary on the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada last year, which had sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries.
“I received a call from someone in the Indian ministry stating that my routine visa extension application wouldn’t be approved, and I needed to leave the country within a few weeks. The official specifically mentioned my story on the Sikh separatist, saying it had gone too far,” Dias said in her podcast.
“The Narendra Modi government has made me feel so uncomfortable that we have decided to leave,” added the Sri Lankan-origin journalist in the final episode of her podcast series.
Dias claimed the team faced many questions by Indian authorities during filming and were initially stopped by the government. “I thought I would be fine as a foreign journalist, but I was mistaken; asking challenging questions about Narendra Modi can lead to trouble. He doesn’t appreciate criticism from the media or the opposition,” she said in the episode.
Government sources however said Dias’ contention that she was not allowed to cover elections and was compelled to leave the country were “not correct, misleading and mischievous”.
They stressed that Dias had violated visa rules. “Inspite 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 20 April 2024,” a source said.
The source added: “She paid the visa fee on 18 April and her visa was extended till end June the same day. She, however, chose to leave India on 20th April. At the time of her departure she held a valid visa and her extension of visa stood approved.”
The source further said that coverage of election activities outside of booths is permitted to all journalist visa holders. “Authority letters are required only for access to polling booths and counting stations. This, however, cannot be processed 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.”
Sources also told ThePrint that the documentary was shot “without appropriate permission”.
They said the Border Security Force (BSF) had denied permission to film near the Attari/Wagah border due to security-related restrictions, but she still went ahead. An official also said the visas of her associates were obtained using “misleading/incomplete information”.
“The documentary glorified terrorism, such as the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the bombing of Air India Flight Kanishka. It provided a platform for extremists and fringe groups like Dal Khalsa, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and Sikhs for Justice Australia,” the official added.
The documentary Sikhs, Spies and Murder: Investigating India’s Alleged Hit on Foreign Soil focused on the killing of Nijjar outside a gurdwara in Canada’s Surrey on 18 June, 2023. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused the Indian government of being involved in the fatal shooting, a claim denied by Indian authorities as “absurd and motivated”.
YouTube had blocked the video on 24 March, just days after its release, following orders from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Government officials cited “a lack of objectivity” in the coverage, noting the failure to mention support for the Indian state in Punjab and Nijjar’s pro-Khalistan stance.
The 33-year-old journalist also claimed that an earlier podcast on Modi’s alleged role in the Gujarat riots was banned too.
“It was shocking. We were forced to leave on the Indian government’s terms,” she said, accusing the Modi government of issuing her visa at the very last minute.
“It became too difficult to do my job in India. I struggled to access public events held by Modi’s party, and the government wouldn’t provide me with the necessary passes to cover the elections. The ministry delayed so long that we were packed and ready to leave,” Dias claimed in her podcast.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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