India has blocked more than 100 international speakers from attending an opposition-led democracy summit in Hyderabad, according to a senior Congress politician, raising fresh questions about the government’s treatment of foreign voices critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to The Express Tribune.
Congress MP and former senior United Nations official Shashi Tharoor said that 115 of the 315 speakers initially cleared by India’s foreign ministry were later denied entry or had their visas cancelled. He alleged that the decision was made on the instructions of the Home Ministry, although the ministry had not publicly responded.
Tharoor said he learned of the cancellations after arriving in Hyderabad. In a post on X, he asked under which legal provision the government had taken such a “drastic” step, and argued that the timing made it impossible to reverse the decision before the summit ended.
“What a shame that a proud democracy has become so insecure that it must stifle any voices it fears will be critical!” Tharoor wrote.
Among those affected was Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng Svendsen, who said her visa was cancelled shortly before she was due to fly to India. She had been invited to speak about media and press freedom and had previously questioned Modi during a press briefing in Oslo in May.
The Editors Guild of India condemned the cancellations, calling them an example of “bureaucratic overreach.” It urged the government to explain its reasons and reverse the decision.
The two-day Bharat Summit opened in Hyderabad on Friday, bringing together roughly 1,000 delegates from more than 70 countries. Discussions are focused on democracy, climate change, artificial intelligence, global cooperation and electoral integrity.
India’s foreign ministry later said visa decisions are a “sovereign” matter, but it did not directly address the allegation that more than 100 speakers had been blocked.
