The Ministry of External Affairs stated on Thursday that the entry of foreign nationals into the country is a sovereign decision, including the refusal of entry to Nitasha Kaul, a UK national.

During the MEA’s weekly media conference, official spokeswoman Randhir Jaiswal stated, “This specific UK national (Nitasha Kaul) came to India on February 22. As you are aware, the admittance of foreign nationals into our country is a sovereign decision.”

Notably, Nitasha Kaul, a UK-based Indian-origin researcher and lecturer, alleged that she was deported from India shortly after arriving at the Bengaluru airport.

Kaul stated that the Karnataka government had invited her to a two-day constitutional rights colloquium.

“Denied entrance to #India for lecturing on democratic and constitutional values. I was invited to a conference as an honoured delegate by the government of #Karnataka (a Congress-ruled state), but the Centre denied me admittance. All of my documents were valid and current (UK passport and OCI). Kaul posted on X.

“Immigration gave me no rationale other than ‘we cannot do anything, directives from Delhi’. Karnataka had provided for my travel and logistics, and I carried the official letter with me. I had no advance notice or information from Delhi that I would not be allowed to enter,” Kaul wrote in her X post.

The invitation created controversy after the BJP claimed Kaul had Pakistani ties.

The BJP Karnataka claimed on X that Congress had defiled the Indian Constitution by inviting a Pakistani sympathiser.

“At the expense of Karnataka tax payers’, Congress govt is channelling funds to Terrorist-Sympathisers, Urban Naxals, Anti-Nationals, Riots-accused to destabilise India ahead of elections,” stated the BJP-Karnataka on X.