Norwegian Tourist Forced to Leave India for Protesting against 'CAA'

Guwahati, December 27, 2019:

A Norwegian tourist, Janne-Mette Johansson was asked to leave India by Friday after participating in a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act earlier this week.

Johansson was on a tourist visa for the past two months, said reports.

In a now-deleted Facebook post, Janne-Mette Johansson wrote, “A couple of hours back the Bureau of Immigration showed up at my hotel again. I was told to leave the country at once, or legal actions would be taken. I asked for an explanation and also something in writing. I was told I would not get anything in writing."

Reportedly, the action was reported four days after she took part in the protest march. A senior official of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FFRO) stated that the agency has been trying to track her ever since she posted about her participation in social media.

According to FFRO official, Johansson cannot participate in any political activity of the country as she is a tourist visa and her participation was a clear violation of her visa conditions. She was asked to leave the country immediately as per the 'Foreigners Act'.

On 23 December, Johansson uploaded a Facebook post about her participation in the People’s Long March. She posted, “This afternoon I participated in a protest march; People’s Long March. It started out from Gandhi Circle Ernakulam, and we marched with slogans and flags to Vasco da Gama Square Cochin, while the protesters were singing and chanting and with their fists up. The People’s Long March was very well organized. During these 12 kms there were two places we got water with salt and sugar, we also had orange juice. No riots, just people determined... lifting up their voices, saying what has to be said. The police helpful during this protest march.”

It is to be mentioned here that a day before, a German student, Jakob Lindenthal, studying in IIT-Madras, was sent back due to his participation in the C(A)A protests.

Support Inside Northeast (InsideNE), an independent media platform that focuses on Citizen-centric stories from Northeast India that are surprising, inspiring, cinematic and emotionally relevant.