Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Nov 12: A Norwegian journalist, Helle Lyng, who was scheduled to attend the 'Bharat Summit' organised by the Congress in Hyderabad, has alleged that her Indian visa was revoked at the last minute.
Helle Lyng released a video on social media platform X, explaining the circumstances surrounding the alleged cancellation.
According to her, she received a phone call from the Indian Embassy in Norway just 10 minutes before she was due to leave for the airport. Officials reportedly informed her that she could not travel to India that day.
"I had made all the arrangements to travel to India and had packed my bags. My passport had a visa, and I had also received political clearance. I was invited to speak at the conference in Hyderabad about the media, press freedom and the future of democracy. However, my visa was suddenly revoked on the instructions of the Union Home Ministry," she alleged in the video.
Neither the Union Home Ministry nor the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has issued any official response to the journalist's allegations so far.
Helle Lyng, an Oslo-based journalist, had earlier made headlines for questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi about press freedom in India during a joint press conference with the Norwegian Prime Minister.
"Prime Minister Modi, we have one of the freest presses in the world. Why do you not answer some of the questions we ask?" she had questioned.
Following the interaction, she had posted on X, stating, "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not answer my question. I did not expect this from him. Our job is to question those in power."