Saturday, March 29, 2025
British-Kashmiri academic Nitasha Kaul claims India has revoked her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) over accusations of “anti-India activities.” Kaul, who teaches politics at the University of Westminster in London, shared this on social media and expressed her concern over the move.
Kaul said Indian authorities accused her of spreading disinformation and acting with malice against India’s sovereignty and democratic values. She believes the government took this step in response to her public criticism.
This action follows an incident in February 2024, when Indian immigration officials denied her entry at Bengaluru Airport. She was invited by the Karnataka government to speak at a conference about the Constitution but was deported without explanation.
Nitasha Kaul is a politics professor, novelist, poet, and economist. She was born in Uttar Pradesh, and her family originally comes from Srinagar, Kashmir. She earned her economics degree from Sri Ram College of Commerce in Delhi and later completed a joint PhD in Economics and Philosophy at the University of Hull in the UK.
Kaul began teaching at the University of Bath and later held positions at universities in Bristol, Bhutan, and London. At the University of Westminster, she now works as an Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations.
Her novel Residue, focused on Kashmiri identity in exile, was shortlisted for the 2009 Man Asian Literary Prize.
Kaul has earned several fellowships and awards. She was a Visiting Fellow at universities in Australia, Bhutan, and India. From 2007 to 2015, she served as a Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democracy in London.
In 2018, she received a British Academy/Leverhulme grant for her work on democracy in Bhutan. She has won multiple university awards between 2019 and 2024.
She also works with organizations like the European Research Council and UK Research and Innovation, reviewing research proposals. Recently, she has focused on AI ethics and international security projects.
Kaul called the OCI cancellation a clear attempt to silence dissenting voices. She stated, “This decision won’t stop me. It only proves the need for open dialogue and democratic accountability.”
The Indian government has not officially commented on the case. However, critics see this as part of a larger pattern where scholars and activists who challenge government narratives face increasing restrictions.
