Rediff-India Abroad reader Ashok K Dharmani, a resident of Detroit, USA, could not attend his mother's funeral in India, thanks he says to the indifference of Indian visa rules and the high-handedness of some staffers at the Indian consulate in Amsterdam. In a letter to Home Minister P Chidambaram, Dharmani talks about the anguish and harassment he suffered at the Amsterdam airport.
Dear Mr Chidambaram,
My mother passed away on January 22, 2010, and I immediately booked a ticket through a travel agent from Detroit to New Delhi to attend her funeral ceremony. I was traveling from Detroit to Amsterdam on January 23 by Delta Air and on January 24, from Amsterdam to New Delhi, by KLM.
Delta Air gave me a boarding pass all the way through, from Detroit to New Delhi, via Amsterdam. I reached Amsterdam from Detroit on January 23. I waited for three hours at the airport before embarking for my journey to New Delhi on January 24.
I was not allowed to board the flight headed to New Delhi by the KLM airlines authorities at the gate, who check the passengers' passports and visas before letting them enter the security check area. The reason of the denial was that I was traveling to India within two months of my earlier visit.
I was in a state of shock when I heard that a new law prevented a visitor from returning to India within two months of a prior visit. I was not told about this rule when I left Mumbai on December 20, 2009, and there was no re-entry restriction stamped on my passport either. This law had taken effect from January 1, 2010.
I was traveling to attend the funeral ceremony of my mother. A KLM official told the Indian consulate about my case and explained the emergency, but his request was rejected by the consulate staffers. Various other KLM authorities called the Indian consulate again to plead my case, but they refused and did not even give me any alternatives. I had no other option but to return to Detroit by the next available flight.
I endured 26 hours of torture (three hours at Detroit airport, eight hours on the flight from Detroit to Amsterdam, six hours at the Amsterdam airport and nine hours on the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit) for no reason. I went through severe mental torture, sleep deprivation and emotional agony in addition to the depression of my mother's death.
I do not have any objection to the implementation of this rule, as nobody should object to such rules in the interest of the safety of one's country, but one should be considerate of the circumstances of the traveler at the airport. There should be some flexibility to facilitate entry-on-the-spot at the airport for emergency cases.
Most of the time, people who seek re-entry within a short period of time are those who have emergency conditions, like the death of a close relative. The Indian consulate at Amsterdam refused to let me fly even after hearing the reason of my visit. How can they be so arrogant, rude, inconsiderate, and inhumane? They did not give me any option other than returning to the United States.
They could at least have told me to come to their office the next working day and obtain permission to fly to New Delhi. I did not know anything about this rule and nobody at the Mumbai airport warned me about this either. It looks like the authorities at the Mumbai airport were either sleeping or having too much fun doing irrelevant things. There was no re-entry restriction stamped on my passport either.
Why did the Indian immigration not prepare a re-entry stamp in December when the rule was supposed to be implemented in January of 2010?
I am writing this letter since I feel that I have been tortured by my own countrymen. It's not only me; many others have been turned back from various airports of Indian cities. It is a shame that a country like India can pass these kinds of laws without some grace period. Please put yourself in my shoes and imagine what you would have done in this case. A few bad people will always find ways to harm any country at will at any time.
The relationship between a mother and a son is one of the strongest relationships throughout the world, especially in the Hindu religion, where the oldest son performs all the religious rituals. I was denied the opportunity to take part in my mother's funeral ceremony because of the arrogance of the Indian consulate in Amsterdam. Various KLM Airline authorities tried to help me by talking to the Indian Consulate in Amsterdam, but their efforts were in vain.
I have been sad and sick because of this torture and the denial of my right to take part in my mother's funeral ceremony. All the blame lies with the Indian Consulate's staffers in Amsterdam. In addition to the 26-hour ordeal, I also incurred a monetary loss of $1041.76. I am still suffering from emotional and mental shock.
I think that the Government of India should reimburse me for the financial loss.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ashok K Dharmani
Have you ever had a similar experience or run into difficulties due to unreasonable visa rules and apathetic Indian Consulate staffers? You can share your experiences with us and other readers by writing in to newsdesk@rediff.co.in
