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The Hindu
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
U.K. academic claims OCI cancelled over 'anti-India activities'
A British Kashmiri Professor of Politics and International Relations at London's University of Westminster has claimed her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) has been cancelled by the Indian authorities over alleged 'anti-India activities'. Nitasha Kaul took to social media on Sunday (May 18, 2025) to post details of the communication received from the government of India, which accuses her of being motivated by 'malice and complete disregard for facts or history'. It follows her previous posts from February when the academic had hit back on being denied entry to India to reportedly attend a conference in Bengaluru. 'Know that arresting academics in India for speaking against hate is closely tied to removing access to country and family for academics outside India,' Ms. Kaul said in her post on X. Know that arresting academics in #India for speaking against hate is closely tied to removing access to country & family for academics outside India. Idea is to send a signal — don't dare challenge us within & don't dare analyse what's going on to convey to audiences outside. — Professor Nitasha Kaul, PhD (@NitashaKaul) May 18, 2025 'Idea is to send a signal — don't dare challenge us within and don't dare analyse what's going on to convey to audiences outside,' she said. Under the OCI rules stipulated by the High Commission of India in London, the government of India can cancel an OCI registration of any individual on certain specific grounds including 'if it is satisfied... the overseas citizen of India has shown disaffection towards the Constitution of India as established by law'. An excerpt of the cancellation document purportedly received from the government of India, Ms. Kaul has been accused of 'numerous inimical writings, speeches and journalistic activities at various international forums and on social media platforms' that target 'India and its institutions on the matters of India's sovereignty'. Ms. Kaul, Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Westminster, has condemned the revocation of her OCI as a 'bad faith, vindictive, cruel example of transnational repression' and claimed that she has been punished for 'scholarly work on anti-minority and anti-democratic policies'. The High Commission of India in London has been approached for a statement.
NDTV
20-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Nitasha Kaul: The UK Professor Who Said She Lost Overseas Citizenship For "Anti-India Activities"
British-Kashmiri academic Nitasha Kaul has alleged that the Indian authorities have revoked her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status over her alleged "anti-India activities." Ms Kaul, a Professor of Politics at the University of Westminster, shared on X that the government accused her of being motivated by "malice" and spreading disinformation about India's sovereignty and democratic institutions. The move follows her 2024 denial of entry into India, when she was invited to speak at a Bengaluru conference. Who Is Nitasha Kaul? Nitasha Kaul is a Kashmiri novelist, Politics/International Relations academic, poet, economist and artist living in London. She was reportedly born in Uttar Pradesh and her family had migrated from Srinagar. According to reports, she completed her Bachelor's degree in Economics from Sri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi. Ms Kaul completed a Joint PhD in Economics and Philosophy at the University of Hull, UK. She began her academic career as a Seminar Tutor and Lecturer in Economics at the University of Bath and later taught at the University of the West of England, Bristol. She also held a position in Creative Writing at Royal Thimphu College, Bhutan, before moving into Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster. Starting as a Visiting Lecturer, she gradually rose through the ranks and now serves as a Reader/Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations. Between 2007 and 2015, she was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democracy in London. In 2008, she became an Honorary Fellow at the University of Bristol. She was a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University in Canberra in 2009 and at the Central University of Hyderabad in 2010. In 2011, she worked as a Fellow at the Centre for Bhutan Studies. Her first novel, Residue, about Kashmiris outside Kashmir, was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2009, even before it was published. She has received many important research grants and awards. In 2018, she got a British Academy/Leverhulme grant to study democracy in Bhutan. She also won several awards from the University of Westminster between 2019 and 2024. Ms Kaul also reviews research grants for big groups like the European Research Council and UKRI, and helps with US-UK projects on responsible AI and security research. In February 2024, Nitasha Kaul was invited by the Karnataka government to speak at a seminar on India's Constitution. Upon arrival at the Bengaluru Airport, she was denied entry and deported back to the UK.
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First Post
20-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Who is Nitasha Kaul, the Indian-origin professor in Britain, who lost her OCI status for ‘anti-India' activities?
Nitasha Kaul, a UK-based Indian-origin academician and author, said that her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status has been cancelled for her work on the government's 'anti-minority and anti-democratic policies'. Kaul, a Kashmiri Pandit British citizen, is a professor at the University of Westminster in London read more Nitasha Kaul also identifies as a 'Kashmiri novelist'. She has authored multiple books that include Residue, Future Tense, and Imagining Economics Otherwise. Image courtesy: X//@NitashaKaul Professor Nitasha Kaul, a London-based academic of Indian origin, revealed on Sunday that the Government of India has cancelled her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status, accusing her of 'indulging in anti-India activities'. Kaul, a Kashmiri Pandit British citizen, currently works as a professor at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster in London. The OCI, or Overseas Citizenship of India, is a special status offered to people of Indian origin who have taken up foreign citizenship. It grants them a multiple entry, life-long visa for visiting India, allowing them to travel and stay without restrictions, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD So, what led to the revocation of Kaul's OCI status? What exactly did she do? Here's everything you need to know. 'Punishing me for work on anti-democratic policies' On May 18, Professor Nitasha Kaul took to social media to share a notice from the Indian government informing her of the cancellation of her OCI status. She posted an image showing a section of the official letter she had received. Know that arresting academics in #India for speaking against hate is closely tied to removing access to country & family for academics outside India. Idea is to send a signal — don't dare challenge us within & don't dare analyse what's going on to convey to audiences outside. — Professor Nitasha Kaul, PhD (@NitashaKaul) May 18, 2025 'IMPORTANT NOTE - I received a cancellation of my #OCI (Overseas Citizenship of #India) today after arriving home. A bad faith, vindictive, cruel example of #TNR (transnational repression) punishing me for scholarly work on anti-minority & anti-democratic policies of #Modi rule,' Kaul wrote on X. The portion of the letter visible in the image suggested that the decision was based on her 'indulging in anti-India activities, motivated by malice and complete disregard for facts or history'. 'Through your numerous inimical writings, speeches and journalistic activities at various international forums and on social media platforms, you regularly target India and its institutions on the matters of India's sovereignty,' the document purportedly added. This development follows an earlier incident in February 2024, when Kaul was denied entry into India upon arrival at Bengaluru airport. She had been invited by the Congress-led Karnataka government to speak on 'democratic and constitutional values' at a state-organised event in Bengaluru. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Last year, Kaul was denied entry into India upon arrival at Bengaluru airport. She had been invited by the Congress-led Karnataka government to speak on 'democratic and constitutional values' at a state-organised event. Image courtesy: X/@NitashaKaul Kaul alleged that immigration officials denied her entry after 'informally' making 'references' to her 'criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)'. Girish Bharadwaj, a leader of the Karnataka wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, also raised objections over her invitation to the event. He wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging the ministry to cancel Kaul's OCI status. The Indian-origin professor then claimed she was deported to London, after being held in detention for 24 hours 'under direct cctv w restricted movement, a narrow area to lie down and no easy access to food and water'. Who is Nitasha Kaul? -Kaul was born in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, into a Kashmiri Pandit family that had migrated from the old city in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. Here is one of my early life memories, in Pahalgam, with my grandparents. Being a Kashmiri is a special inheritance, but being one and working on the region's politics and international relations, and also writing political fiction about lives marked by the tragedy of conflict,… — Professor Nitasha Kaul, PhD (@NitashaKaul) April 26, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD -She was raised in New Delhi and completed her schooling at St Thomas' School. She then pursued a BA Honours in Economics from Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi. -In 1997, at the age of 21, she moved to England to pursue higher education. She completed a Master's in Economics specialising in Public Policy, and a joint PhD in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Hull, UK, as per her CV linked on her X profile. -From 2002 to 2007, Kaul worked as an assistant professor of economics at the Bristol Business School. -In 2010, Kaul, who is also an author, served as an associate professor in creative writing at the Royal Thimphu College in Bhutan. Kaul is currently the Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) at the School of Social Sciences, University of Westminster in London. Image courtesy: X/@NitashaKaul -Kaul is currently the Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) at the School of Social Sciences, University of Westminster in London. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD -Her academic research focuses on right-wing politics, postcolonial neoliberal nationalism, the Hindutva project in India, and the history and politics of Kashmir. -She also identifies as a 'Kashmiri novelist'. She has authored multiple books that include Residue, Future Tense, and Imagining Economics Otherwise. -Her debut novel Residue, explores the intersection of economics and philosophy. It was shortlisted for the 2009 Man Asian Literary Prize, making it one of five works from Asia to receive that recognition. -Residue and Future Tense explore themes like 'identity, trauma and displacement' in Kashmir. With input from agencies
NDTV
20-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
UK Professor Says She Lost Overseas Citizenship Over "Anti-India Activities"
London: A British Kashmiri Professor of Politics and International Relations at London's University of Westminster has claimed her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) has been cancelled by the Indian authorities over alleged 'anti-India activities'. Nitasha Kaul took to social media on Sunday to post details of the communication received from the government of India, which accuses her of being motivated by 'malice and complete disregard for facts or history'. It follows her previous posts from February when the academic had hit back on being denied entry to India to reportedly attend a conference in Bengaluru. 'Know that arresting academics in India for speaking against hate is closely tied to removing access to country and family for academics outside India,' Nitasha Kaul said in her post on X. 'Idea is to send a signal — don't dare challenge us within and don't dare analyse what's going on to convey to audiences outside,' she said. Under the OCI rules stipulated by the High Commission of India in London, the government of India can cancel an OCI registration of any individual on certain specific grounds including 'if it is satisfied... the overseas citizen of India has shown disaffection towards the Constitution of India as established by law'. An excerpt of the cancellation document purportedly received from the government of India, Kaul has been accused of 'numerous inimical writings, speeches and journalistic activities at various international forums and on social media platforms' that target 'India and its institutions on the matters of India's sovereignty'. Nitasha Kaul, Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Westminster, has condemned the revocation of her OCI as a 'bad faith, vindictive, cruel example of transnational repression' and claimed that she has been punished for 'scholarly work on anti-minority and anti-democratic policies'. The High Commission of India in London has been approached for a statement.
The Hindu
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
British academic Nitasha Kaul says her OCI registration cancelled
British academic Nitasha Kaul said on Monday (May 19, 2025) that the Indian government has cancelled her Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) registration for indulging in 'anti-India activities' through 'writing, speeches and journalistic activities at various international forums and social media platforms'. She said that she will pursue legal remedies and will challenge the cancellation in court. Ms. Kaul, a British Kashmiri professor of Politics and International Relations at London's University of Westminster, was denied entry into India on February 25, 2024 when she was invited by the Karnataka government to participate in an event. A few months after she was deported to the U.K., in May 2024 she received a show-cause notice as to why her OCI registration should not be cancelled. 'I responded to the show-cause notice within 15-days with a 20,000 word letter. The show-cause notice made broad-based wide-ranging allegations, the same as the cancellation notice. It did not point to anything specific,' Ms. Kaul told The Hindu. She said she was being targeted to intimidate others like her into silence. 'India is not China. This kind of action is devoid of any rationalisation. My mother is in India, I am not anti-India, I have always condemned violent action... be it by Lashkar-e-Taiba [LeT] or the Hamas,' she said. The notice cancelling Ms. Kaul's OCI registration said, 'It has been brought to the notice of the Government of India that you have been found indulging in anti-India activities, motivated by malice and complete disregard for facts or history. Through your numerous inimical writings, speeches and journalistic activities at various international forums and on social media platforms, you regularly target India and its institutions on the matters of India's sovereignty...' Ms. Kaul said that she was informed through the notice that her reply sent last year was not found satisfactory. OCIs are of Indian origin but hold foreign passports. India does not allow dual citizenship but provides certain benefits under Section 7B(I) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 to the OCIs. As on January 31, 2022, 40.68 lakh OCI registration cards had been issued.
