New Delhi: Akash Pushkarna, who had been stranded at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia for two weeks after being denied entry into India for failing to present a valid Indian passport, has returned to India after being issued a temporary passport, ThePrint has learnt.
The official account of the High Commission of India in Kuala Lumpur posted on X Sunday that the embassy had been in touch with Akash, and after “necessary formalities in Malaysia and New Zealand”, he had been issued “an appropriate travel document to facilitate his return to India”.
“He was granted a temporary passport after all formalities were completed and he returned to India late Friday night,” a source in the Indian security establishment said, adding that the decision to grant him a temporary passport was taken by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Akash had claimed he was from Punjab’s Jalandhar and was last month turned away from Delhi after Indian immigration authorities refused to accept his Certificate of Identity—issued by New Zealand to asylum-seekers—as a valid travel document for entry into India.
He was subsequently put on a Malaysia Airlines flight bound for Auckland, but got stranded during a stopover in Kuala Lumpur, with neither India nor New Zealand willing to accept him.
According to sources in the security establishment, it appeared that Akash had earlier fled India and sought asylum in New Zealand, citing threats to his life. Whether he was formally granted refugee status remains unclear.
Sources said that at the time of his arrival in Delhi, he did not disclose whether he had sought or been granted asylum in New Zealand.
The sources added that he had attempted to enter India using the Identity Certificate issued by the New Zealand government, but when asked to produce his Indian passport, he claimed he had lost it.
“No one can be allowed to enter India without a valid travel document,” a source had told ThePrint Saturday. “He was sent back because he did not have a valid passport. Without proper travel documents, how can authorities conclusively establish whether he is actually an Indian citizen or someone else? It is mandatory to possess a valid passport to clear immigration.”
A New Zealand Certificate of Identity is a travel document issued by the Department of Internal Affairs to non-citizens who cannot obtain a passport from their home country. According to the New Zealand immigration website, the document allows holders to leave and return to New Zealand. It primarily serves refugees, stateless persons, or residents unable to obtain a national passport.
“A Certificate of Identity may be issued to a person who is not a New Zealand citizen and who cannot obtain a passport from their country of citizenship,” the website states. The certificate is valid for two years, and holding it does not affect the nationality or citizenship status of the applicant.
The case came to light after a video purportedly released by Akash from Kuala Lumpur circulated online. In the video, he said he had been stranded at the airport for eight days and appealed to Indian authorities for help, claiming he had no money, food, luggage or change of clothes. He also said he couldn’t return to New Zealand as he no longer held a valid visa.
Explaining his decision to return to India, Akash said his situation in New Zealand had become untenable and that his father had fallen ill.
ThePrint reached the MEA for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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