Nitasha Kaul says India canceled her OCI for criticizing Modi’s policies

British academic and author Nitasha Kaul has accused the Indian government of canceling her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) in retaliation for her criticism of its “anti-minority and anti-democratic policies.”

Kaul, a Kashmiri-origin scholar teaching at the University of Westminster in London, shared a government notice accusing her of “anti-India activities.” The letter cited her “inimical writings, speeches, and journalistic activities” that allegedly targeted India’s sovereignty.

The OCI status, which allows foreign nationals of Indian descent to live and work in India indefinitely, can be unilaterally revoked.

Kaul described the cancellation as part of a broader attempt to stifle dissent. “Arresting academics in India for opposing hate goes hand in hand with barring those abroad from their country and family,” she posted on X, formerly Twitter.

A vocal critic of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Kaul has testified internationally on India’s human rights record. In 2019, she addressed the U.S. Congress about abuses in Indian-administered Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370.

In February 2024, Kaul was deported from Bengaluru despite holding a valid visa. She had been invited to speak at a conference on democracy hosted by Karnataka’s Congress-led state government. Authorities cited her critical stance on India’s democratic and constitutional practices as the reason for her ban.

Her case has sparked widespread condemnation from academics and rights advocates, who view it as part of a growing pattern of silencing dissent among the Indian diaspora. Critics argue the Modi government increasingly uses travel bans, visa denials, and legal pressure to suppress opposition voices both domestically and abroad.