After a German student at IIT Madras was deported from India for participating in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, a Norwegian tourist, Janne-Mette Johansson was questioned by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Kochi and asked to leave the country.
Johansson wrote on Facebook on Friday, “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.”
She wrote in her post that the Bureau of Immigration was holding her back and not letting her go until she showed flight tickets back home.
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“The offcials just came introduced themselves being from the immigration department and asked me to leave the country ASAP or legal action will be taken,” she told The Times of India.
The 74-year-old woman had put up photos of her participating in the protests on Facebook.
“We are investigating whether the foreigner has violated Visa norms or not”, Foreigners Regional Registration Officer Anoop Krishnan told PTI.
“We can’t say a concrete action is taken into it. An inquiry is on,” he said.
Manorama Online reported that the FRRO began to investigate into Johansson after she posted on Facebook.
Johansson’s Facebook post only described the protests and did not make any political remarks.
“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,” Johansson said in her post.
The woman was said to be visiting Kochi on a tourist visa.
She had earlier said in a Facebook post that she will not post about her travels in India on Facebook anymore.
“I will not be posting more on FB during my travelling in beautiful India.I thank you all for having followed me on my journey.But now a time to be private.I also want you all to know that I am alright.Still in Cochin, but when I know the time is right for me,I will be on my way to Delhi.Just informing you so you don’t worry.I thank you all, goodbye my friends!” Johansson said in her post.
This comes after Jakob Lindenthal, a German exchange student, who was sent back this week for participating in anti-CAA protests. Lindenthal was studying in the Physics Department of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. He was part of the protests that were held inside the IIT-Madras campus.
Lindenthal’s poster had made a reference to Nazi rule in Germany between 1933-45 under Adolf Hitler.
(With PTI inputs)