New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) Ukraine has lodged a protest with India over the “detention” of six Ukrainian nationals on charges of entering Mizoram without authorisation and for alleged unlawful activities.
Ukraine’s ambassador Oleksandr Polishchuk met Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry, Sibi George, and sought consular access to the Ukrainian nationals and their immediate release, according to a readout by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian nationals and one American were reportedly detained by Indian law enforcement authorities on charges of unlawful activities.
When asked about the detention of the American national, a US embassy spokesperson said: “We are aware of the situation. For privacy reasons, we cannot comment on cases involving US citizens.” It is not immediately clear why the foreign nationals were in Mizoram.
There is no word yet from Indian officials on the case.
The readout by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said the case involves the unauthorised presence of the Ukrainian nationals in Mizoram, adding a special permit is required for foreign nationals to travel to the state.
It said the case is also linked to the “alleged illegal crossing of the state border between India and Myanmar”.
“Contrary to established international practice, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of India did not receive any official notification from the competent authorities of India regarding the detention of Ukrainian citizens,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
It said the Ukrainian side insisted on the “immediate provision of unimpeded consular access to the detainees”.
Ambassador of Ukraine Polishchuk met with Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sibi George, during which he handed over an “official note of protest demanding the immediate release of the Ukrainian citizens and access to them”, it said.
“As of now, there are no established facts proving the involvement of the said Ukrainian citizens in unlawful activities on the territory of India or Myanmar,” it said.
“At the same time, certain publications, including in some Indian and Russian media outlets, contain distorted interpretations of the available facts, are manipulative in nature, and put forward unfounded allegations,” the ministry said.
Kyiv said the six citizens have been provided with legal aid and a defence counsel during the court proceedings.
“On March 16, a court hearing took place, which was also attended by representatives of the Embassy of Ukraine; however, they were not granted the opportunity to communicate directly with the detainees,” it said.
Following the hearing, the court decided to extend their detention until March 27, it said without mentioning where the court proceedings took place.
“We draw attention to the fact that there are certain restricted-access zones in India for foreign nationals, entry to which is possible only with special permits,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
“At the same time, proper marking of such areas on the ground is often absent, which creates a risk of unintentional violation of the established rules,” it said. PTI MPB KVK KVK
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