An Australian journalist revealed that she was compelled to depart India when the government declined to extend her work visa, asserting that her reporting had “crossed a line”.
Avani Dias, the South Asia bureau chief of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, detailed her departure on April 19 coinciding with the start of India’s Lok Sabha elections, attributing it to objections over her coverage of the assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“Last week, I had to leave India abruptly. The Modi Government told me my visa extension would be denied, saying my reporting ‘crossed a line’,” Dias said on X.
“We were also told my election accreditation would not come through because of an Indian ministry directive. We left on day one of voting in the national election in what Modi calls “the mother of democracy,” said Dias, who had been working in India for the past two-and-a-half years.
She mentioned that her visa was eventually extended for two months after intervention from the Australian government, which was communicated “less than 24 hours before my flight”.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that Dias was informed of the decision by a ministry of external affairs official, who indicated that her recent “Foreign Correspondent” episode had “crossed a line”.
ABC noted that YouTube had also restricted access in India to an episode of its news series “Foreign Correspondent” covering the Nijjar killing.
