New Delhi: British MP Tanmanjeet Dhesi was allegedly stopped by immigration officials at the Sri Guru Ramdas Jee International Airport, Amritsar on Thursday.
A Sikh MP from Slough and a vocal supporter of the 2020 farmers’ protests, Dhesi had come in from Birmingham.
According to reports, the police said Dhesi was stopped for over two hours before being allowed to leave and that the issue was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
While the reason behind his temporary detention remains unclear, Dhesi claimed “haters” were behind the incident who wanted his valid Overseas Citizen Of India (OCI) visa to be cancelled.
He said such incidents were the “price to pay for standing in solidarity with farmers, the marginalised and minorities like the Sikhs”. He also said the issue had been fully resolved with the Indian officials.
Detaining and harassing prominent Sikh NRI & British MP @TanDhesi at Amritsar airport this morning is a highly deplorable act. This sends a hugely negative message about the treatment of even prominent and respected members of patriotic Sikh community and damages the country’s… https://t.co/DmriVA09LW
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) August 3, 2023
Dhesi often raises Sikh issues in UK Parliament and other social media platforms. He is currently the Shadow Minister for Railways of the United Kingdom.
A Shadow Minister is appointed by the Opposition leader to mirror the position of the sitting legislator with the aim to scrutinise policies of the ruling government, and hold it accountable.
Dhesi has previously been criticised by Indian ministers for his comments on the arrests of Khalistan supporters, the suspension of Internet in Punjab etc.
In March this year, Dhesi had expressed concerns regarding the “worrying” situation in Punjab after the police began a manhunt for radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh and arrested 112 of his supporters.
Congress spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi criticised the British minister for “nurturing Khalistani sentiments” in the UK and said his comments would not help him gain support from his constituency Slough “which has a massive chunk of Pakistan-supporting population”.
What about making a #Khalistan within the UK?? You have been nurturing #Khalistani sentiments in your country.
Nevertheless, this wont fetch you new votes from Slough constitiency seat, which has a massive chun of Pakistan supporting population.https://t.co/rGIzn98Jzl
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) March 19, 2023
This is not the first time that a British Minister has been stopped or refused entry in India after criticising the BJP government’s policies.
In 2020, British Opposition MP Debbie Abrahams, who had questioned the government’s decision to revoke Article 370 in 2019, was denied entry to New Delhi and sent back to the UK despite holding a visa.
However, government officials claimed her visa “had been cancelled much earlier” and that “she had been duly informed about the cancellation”.
Also read: British Sikh group attacks UK faith review warning of Khalistani extremism