Aakar Patel stopped at Bengaluru airport, says not allowed to fly out to US

Former Amnesty India says a Gujarat court order had granted him permission 'specifically' for the US trip.

Journalist and human rights activist Aakar Anil Patel on Wednesday alleged that he was stopped at the Bengaluru airport and prevented from boarding a flight to the United States.

Patel said that he was prevented from travelling to the US despite a Gujarat court order granting him permission "specifically" for the said trip.

The former chief of Amnesty International India took to his Twitter account, which is not verified, to tweet: "Stopped from leaving India at Bangalore airport. Am on the exit control list. Got passport back through court order specifically for this trip to the US."

Patel also shared a copy of his application for the passport to the court and tagged Prime Minister's Office. The Gujarat court's ruling shared by Patel showed that the judge had ordered his passport to be returned and allowed him to travel to the US between March 1 and May 30.

"CBI officer called to say I am on the Look-Out Circular because of the case Modi government has filed against Amnesty International India," Patel tweeted.

Notably, in September 2020, Patel was booked under Sections 153 A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), 295 A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings), spreading fake message with intent to incite, any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community under 505 (1) B, 505 (1) C, Defamation under Sections 499, and 500 of the Indian Penal Code for three of his tweets against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and Ghanchi caste.

In June 2020, an FIR was registered against Patel under Sections 117 (abetting commission of an offence by the public or by more than ten persons), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), and 505-1-B (intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the JC Nagar police station over his controversial comments on social media under charges pertaining to provocation with intent to cause riots.

Recently, journalist Rana Ayyub was also stopped on March 29 this year at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai to board an Air India flight to London, Heathrow.

After a plea, challenging the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) decision to stop her from flying out of the country, the Delhi High Court allowed Ayyub to travel abroad and has asked her to deposit a certain amount and share the itinerary with a contact number to the probe agency.