Mirudhula Thambiah, a Journalist attached to Ceylon Today, was recently forced to undergo a serious security check, at the Indian Immigration Authority, based at the Bengaluru Kempegowda Airport, where she was continuously questioned. It was not a routine or normal security check, but an extraordinary case of harassment.
She said, “I was harassed by the security personnel at the Bengaluru Airport, as I landed on 27 November. I was invited to participate at the ‘Countering Online radicalization of Youth for Extremism- Tech Camp Hyderabad› from 27- 29 November. As I entered the country, the Indian Immigration held me for more than one hour, continuously questioning me over my journalism and what I write about mostly in Sri Lanka. To my utter surprise, they also asked me about slain LTTE Leader Prabhakaran and questioned me on after his death what issues Sri Lanka was now facing. They took a photograph of me and recorded my conversation too. They particularly asked the address of my newspaper and wanted to verify my media ID.
“At the next security check, female security personnel stopped me and continuously questioned me on why I was in Bengaluru and not in Hyderabad and what my portfolio was etc. She was holding my passport in her hands while talking to me. Though I was furious over being detained for too long, as I was about to miss my flight to Hyderabad, she didn›t let me go. She took me to a separate room and body checked me. After that I was allowed to proceed by the next flight. “As a journalist I have been very close to the Indian media and I have personally published good stories about India in my section of the Ceylon Today Newspaper. Such unwarranted harassment was seriously not expected by a journalist like me who had obtained clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi. I, though being identified as Tamil by birth, was not harassed at the Banadaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, Colombo and there was no question asked, as anyone would expect. I have been given such a negative impression of the Indian Authorities and this will remain in my mind forever,” she said.
However Thambiah had immediately communicated with the Political Wing of the Indian High Commission in Colombo and they have assured that they would look into the matter.
Courtesy:Ceylon Today