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'Colonial Hangover': Twitter Erupts as British MP Cries Foul Over Deportation From India

© AP Photo / Kirsty WigglesworthAn Indian Flag hangs near the London landmark Big Ben in Parliament Square in London, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Britain for a three day visit.
An Indian Flag hangs near the London landmark Big Ben in Parliament Square in London, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Britain for a three day visit. - Sputnik International
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New Delhi (Sputnik): British parliamentarian Debbie Abrahams, critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Kashmir policy, was sent back to Dubai on her arrival in the Indian capital on Monday, as New Delhi had cancelled her e-visa.

UK Labour MP Debbie Abrahams has stirred up Twitter after questioning the Indian government’s intentions of “revoking her visa after it was granted to her”.

Abrahams, who chairs a UK parliamentary group focused on Kashmir, took to Twitter on Tuesday suspecting foul play on her deportation.

Questioning India’s decision, she wondered if her visa had been cancelled because of her critcism of the government's stance on the Kashmir human rights issue.

In the first official comment, the Indian mission in the UK said it "has confirmed from the Indian immigration authorities that Debbie Abrahams did not hold a valid visa" and "there is no provision for visa on arrival for UK nationals" that is why she was "requested to return".

Abrahams, however, turned to Twitter again, having posted the picture of her e-visa, which was issued on 7 October 2019, with the expiration date indicated as 5 October 2020.

​In response, unnamed government sources said that the matter of granting, rejecting, or revoking a visa or an electronic travel authorisation is "the sovereign right of any country".

"Debbie Abrahams was issued an e-Business visa on 7th Oct 2019, valid until 5th Oct 2020 to attend business meetings. e-Business visa was revoked on 14 February 2020 on account of her indulging in activities which went against India's national interest", sources said.

Abrahams' reaction has caused quite a stir among Indian netizens who slammed her for “hate-mongering” and interfering in the internal affairs of India.

Several others also sought to set the record straight by saying that India is no longer a British colony and slammed her for a “white supremacy agenda”.

While Abrahams claimed that she had a valid visa, an official from India's federal Home Affairs Ministry said she was informed well in advance about the revocation of her Visa.

"The e-visa of the British MP was cancelled. She was informed of the revocation on Friday. The status of her e-visa communicated to her clearly says 'rejected'. She can apply at the nearest Indian mission or apply online for a regular visa", government sources said.

On Monday, Debbie arrived at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport with her family and friends. The official said her visa was issued last October and was valid until October 2020 and had been cancelled for some reason.

“I tried to establish why the visa had been revoked and if I could get a ‘visa on arrival’ but no one seemed to know", AP quoted Abrahams as saying in a statement.

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