Francesca Orsini, a respected scholar of Hindi and professor emerita at the SOAS, University of London, stopped from entering India, even though she had a valid five-year e-visa. Authorities informed her that she deported immediately, but they not provide a reason, according to The Wire.
India Deports Hindi Scholar Francesca Orsini
Orsini, known for her 2002 book The Hindi Public Sphere 1920–1940: Language and Literature in the Age of Nationalism, arrived in Delhi late on October 21 after attending a conference in China. She planned to visit friends during her trip and had just traveled to India in October 2024, as noted by The Wire. This incident raises concerns about academic freedom in India.
Historian Ramachandra Guha commented on X, “Professor Francesca Orsini is a great scholar of Indian literature, whose work has greatly expanded our understanding of our own cultural heritage.
Immigration not define deportation decision
Orsini mentioned that immigration officials did not explain their decision. “I am deported. That is all I know,” she said. The scholar, who lives in London, indicated that she would need to arrange her own return home.
Orsini focuses on Hindi and Urdu literature and has spent decades studying multilingualism in South Asian literary cultures. This is the fourth known case in recent years of a foreign academic being denied entry to India despite valid travel documents. In March 2022, British anthropologist Filippo Osella deported from Thiruvananthapuram airport without explanation. That same year, architecture professor Lindsay Bremner also faced entry denial.
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