MP Debbie Abraham had no valid visa, was sent back 'respectfully', says MEA

UK MP Debbie Abraham had come to India without a valid visa and hence was sent back from Delhi Airport "very respectfully", the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

"She had come here without a valid visa so we sent her back 'badi izzat se' (very respectfully) from Delhi Airport. We believe that her statements and ideology are anti-India. There is a sustained campaign from her side against India," MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said while addressing a press conference here.

A day after British MP Debbie Abrahams was denied entry into New Delhi, the Indian embassy in the UK had clarified that the Labour lawmaker did not hold a valid visa and there is no provision for visa on arrival for UK nationals.

"The Mission has confirmed from the Indian immigration authorities that Debbie Abrahams did not hold a valid visa. Further, there is no provision for visa on arrival for UK nationals. She was accordingly requested to return," tweeted Indian mission in the UK.

Abrahams was denied entry at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday after she arrived on Emirates flight from Dubai at 9 a.m.

Informed sources from the Ministry of Home Affairs told ANI that her e-visa had already been cancelled so she was not allowed entry in Delhi after she arrived.

According to media reports, Abrahams, who chairs a parliamentary group on Kashmir, has been an outspoken critic of the Indian government's actions on Kashmir, including abrogation of Article 370.

She has alleged that her visa was denied as she has been critical of the Indian government on Kashmir.

"Why did the Indian government revoke my visa AFTER it was granted? Why didn't they let me get a 'visa on arrival'? Is it because I have been critical of the Indian Government on #Kashmir human rights issues?" she tweeted.