No role of India in stopping Nepali citizen from travelling to Berlin: MHA

New Delhi, Nov 1 (PTI) The Indian immigration authorities had no role in stopping a Nepali citizen at Delhi's IGI airport from travelling to Berlin, Germany, and it was the airline concerned which did not allow the passenger to board the aircraft considering her visa validity, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Saturday.

In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said it has been reported that Shambhavi Adhikari, a Nepali citizen heading to Berlin, was stopped at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport and sent back to Kathmandu.

“The incident has been wrongly portrayed as bias/discrimination against Nepali citizens. It is to clarify that the Indian immigration authorities have no role to play in this entire episode,” the statement said.

The passenger arrived from Kathmandu on an Air India flight and was transiting through Delhi.

She was stopped while boarding the connecting Qatar Airways flight and it was the airline which decided not to let her undertake her onward travel to Germany considering her visa validity and flew her back to Kathmandu, the statement said.

Such matters are usually undertaken in accordance with the destination country’s rules/requirements.

The traveller then rescheduled her travel dates and later travelled (to Berlin) taking another route from Kathmandu.

The MHA said that international transit passengers are not required to approach Indian immigration authorities for their onward journey, as it is a matter between the airlines and the passenger with absolutely no role of the Indian immigration authorities.

“India values its strong relationship with Nepal and reassures that no Indian authority has any bias or discrimination against citizens of Nepal,” the MHA statement said. PTI ACB ARI