New Delhi: Acclaimed Hindi scholar and Professor Emerita at SOAS, University of London, Francesca Orsini was denied entry into India and deported shortly after her arrival at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday night. Government sources have since confirmed that Orsini has been blacklisted for allegedly violating the terms of her tourist visa during a previous visit.

Despite holding a valid five-year e-visa, Orsini was stopped by immigration officials upon landing in Delhi via Hong Kong, following her participation in an academic conference in China. She was informed that she would not be allowed to enter the country and was instructed to make arrangements to return immediately.

Sources within the Ministry of Home Affairs told ANI that Orsini was placed on India’s immigration blacklist in March 2025. “She was on a tourist visa but was found to be engaging in activities inconsistent with the visa’s conditions,” one official stated.

Under Indian law, tourist visa holders are strictly prohibited from undertaking research, professional engagements, employment, or any form of work-related activity while in the country. Authorities say such blacklisting is a standard international practice to ensure compliance with immigration norms. Depending on the severity of the violation, individuals placed on the blacklist may be barred from re-entering India for a fixed term or indefinitely.

Orsini, who has dedicated her academic career to the study of Hindi literature and language, is best known for her seminal work The Hindi Public Sphere 1920–1940: Language and Literature in the Age of Nationalism. Her sudden deportation has drawn criticism from prominent Indian historians and intellectuals.

Reacting to the news, historian Ramachandra Guha wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Francesca Orsini is a great scholar of Indian literature, whose work has richly illuminated our understanding of our own cultural heritage. To deport her without reason is the mark of a government that is insecure, paranoid, and even stupid.”

Historian Mukul Kesavan also condemned the move, stating, “A government ideologically committed to Hindi has banned Francesca Orsini. You can't make this up. The NDA’s visceral hostility to scholars and scholarship is something to behold.”

Orsini had planned to visit friends during her stay in India and had last travelled to the country in October 2024. Despite her longstanding academic contributions and frequent visits to India over the years, her most recent arrival was abruptly cut short.

While government sources have reiterated that the deportation was due to visa violations and not political in nature, the move has sparked concerns over growing restrictions on academic freedom and the treatment of foreign scholars in India.

(With ANI and PTI inputs)