Senior Officer of Swiss Development Cooperation Blacklisted & Unceremonious Deported!
Just
at the time when Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi in his speech at Davos was
exhorting the world to take forward globalization in letter and spirit, the
authorities in his home state of Gujarat whose model he keeps on boasting about,
were busy deporting a former Swiss Diplomat without any rhyme or reason.
at the time when Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi in his speech at Davos was
exhorting the world to take forward globalization in letter and spirit, the
authorities in his home state of Gujarat whose model he keeps on boasting about,
were busy deporting a former Swiss Diplomat without any rhyme or reason.
Ignoring
his nearly five-decade-long association with India, both as a diplomat and as a
senior official of the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), which is part of
Switzerland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government of India
unceremoniously deported seventy-five years old Mr. Kurt Vogele when he landed
in Ahmedabad on January 22, 2018.
his nearly five-decade-long association with India, both as a diplomat and as a
senior official of the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), which is part of
Switzerland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government of India
unceremoniously deported seventy-five years old Mr. Kurt Vogele when he landed
in Ahmedabad on January 22, 2018.
Mr.
Kurt Vogele’s unceremonious deportation came just days after India denied visas
to a team of Australian journalists for having written a story on business
tycoon Gautam Adani who is allegedly very close to Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra
Modi.
Kurt Vogele’s unceremonious deportation came just days after India denied visas
to a team of Australian journalists for having written a story on business
tycoon Gautam Adani who is allegedly very close to Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra
Modi.
A
large number of Indian social activists, who have been friends of Vögele and
are well connected internationally, have started a campaign seeking an
explanation from the Indian authorities for their impulsive and arbitrary action.
large number of Indian social activists, who have been friends of Vögele and
are well connected internationally, have started a campaign seeking an
explanation from the Indian authorities for their impulsive and arbitrary action.
Media
reports suggest that the Vögele was probably denied an entry on the grounds
that SDC gave INR Three hundred million as foreign funding to the Gujarat-based
Dalit rights organization Navsarjan Trust whose FCRA license was not renewed on
December 15, 2016. Navsarjan had reportedly attracted the adverse notice of the
Intelligence Bureau and Home Ministry for alleged, “Undesirable activities
aimed to affect prejudicially harmony between religious, racial, social, linguistic,
regional groups, castes and communities”. However, sources say that Vögele was
an invitee of Janvikas and Centre for Social Justice and Navsarjan had nothing
to do with it. Perhaps they ‘added two and two’ on account of Sethi also being
associated with Navsarjan.
reports suggest that the Vögele was probably denied an entry on the grounds
that SDC gave INR Three hundred million as foreign funding to the Gujarat-based
Dalit rights organization Navsarjan Trust whose FCRA license was not renewed on
December 15, 2016. Navsarjan had reportedly attracted the adverse notice of the
Intelligence Bureau and Home Ministry for alleged, “Undesirable activities
aimed to affect prejudicially harmony between religious, racial, social, linguistic,
regional groups, castes and communities”. However, sources say that Vögele was
an invitee of Janvikas and Centre for Social Justice and Navsarjan had nothing
to do with it. Perhaps they ‘added two and two’ on account of Sethi also being
associated with Navsarjan.
In
a detailed letter dated January 29, 2018, addressed to Sibi George, the Indian
Ambassador in Switzerland, Vogele wrote that he had “an awfully bad experience”
as his visa, which he had obtained by end of December 2017 in Berne, was rejected
by the immigration officials. Stating that no specific reason was given for denial
of entry, he wrote: “I was just told that I had no right to enter India, that I
was blacklisted and that I had to return to Switzerland immediately.”
a detailed letter dated January 29, 2018, addressed to Sibi George, the Indian
Ambassador in Switzerland, Vogele wrote that he had “an awfully bad experience”
as his visa, which he had obtained by end of December 2017 in Berne, was rejected
by the immigration officials. Stating that no specific reason was given for denial
of entry, he wrote: “I was just told that I had no right to enter India, that I
was blacklisted and that I had to return to Switzerland immediately.”
Vogele
said he found this experience “humiliating” and “a result of an arbitrary
decision, not worthy of a country I have learned to respect and appreciate”. He
had last visited India in January 2017 on an invitation of the Malabar Union in
Kerala.
said he found this experience “humiliating” and “a result of an arbitrary
decision, not worthy of a country I have learned to respect and appreciate”. He
had last visited India in January 2017 on an invitation of the Malabar Union in
Kerala.
Vogele
said he insisted that he had a valid visa and his requests that he be informed
of the reasons for his deportation were all “totally ignored”. Nor was he
allowed to phone his friends who were waiting for him at the airport.
said he insisted that he had a valid visa and his requests that he be informed
of the reasons for his deportation were all “totally ignored”. Nor was he
allowed to phone his friends who were waiting for him at the airport.
Vogele
was visiting India on an invitation from Gagan Sethi, the founder of Janvikas
and several other organisations working in areas of human and institutional
development, access to legal justice, women empowerment, conflict management,
and minority and Dalit rights. Sethi, it is learnt, had also gone to receive
Vogele and the latter had urged the immigration authorities to give him an opportunity
to speak to him.
was visiting India on an invitation from Gagan Sethi, the founder of Janvikas
and several other organisations working in areas of human and institutional
development, access to legal justice, women empowerment, conflict management,
and minority and Dalit rights. Sethi, it is learnt, had also gone to receive
Vogele and the latter had urged the immigration authorities to give him an opportunity
to speak to him.
In
his letter, Vogele said that his arguments, “especially my asking for the
reasons for this decision was not considered at all”. He added how his
“passport also was not given back” to him, and was returned only after he landed
in Geneva. The senior diplomat has urged the Indian ambassador in Switzerland
to let him and Imfeld know the reasons for such unilateral behaviour by a
country he cherish for its democratic institutions.
his letter, Vogele said that his arguments, “especially my asking for the
reasons for this decision was not considered at all”. He added how his
“passport also was not given back” to him, and was returned only after he landed
in Geneva. The senior diplomat has urged the Indian ambassador in Switzerland
to let him and Imfeld know the reasons for such unilateral behaviour by a
country he cherish for its democratic institutions.
All
of us in the CSO/NGO sector are very alarmed by the unceremonious manner in
which the immigration officials at the Ahmedabad airport denied entry to Kurt
Vogele. What is even more worrying is, there is a studied silence on the part
of Government of India officials over the reason behind what appears to be a
very impulsive decision.
of us in the CSO/NGO sector are very alarmed by the unceremonious manner in
which the immigration officials at the Ahmedabad airport denied entry to Kurt
Vogele. What is even more worrying is, there is a studied silence on the part
of Government of India officials over the reason behind what appears to be a
very impulsive decision.
What
also upsets us is the way he was treated at the Ahmedabad airport. Not only was
he told to return to Switzerland immediately, but, his pleas for wanting to
phone his friends waiting for him outside, as also his insistence that he
should be told the reasons for his deportation, were summarily ignored. He felt
“wronged, saddened and violated”, to quote him from his letter of protest to
the Indian ambassador in Switzerland.
also upsets us is the way he was treated at the Ahmedabad airport. Not only was
he told to return to Switzerland immediately, but, his pleas for wanting to
phone his friends waiting for him outside, as also his insistence that he
should be told the reasons for his deportation, were summarily ignored. He felt
“wronged, saddened and violated”, to quote him from his letter of protest to
the Indian ambassador in Switzerland.
That
a person of his Mr Vogele’s stature, who is an avid India friend since 1960s,
had to face such humiliation is difficult to believe or accept. Are we a
sovereign democratic republic or a banana republic?
a person of his Mr Vogele’s stature, who is an avid India friend since 1960s,
had to face such humiliation is difficult to believe or accept. Are we a
sovereign democratic republic or a banana republic?
Instrumental
in providing major assistance during the devastating earthquake in Kutch in 2001, Kurt had partnered with the
Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), NABARD, MILMA (Malabar Union),
Calicut, and the Kerala Institute for Local Administration (Thrissur).
in providing major assistance during the devastating earthquake in Kutch in 2001, Kurt had partnered with the
Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), NABARD, MILMA (Malabar Union),
Calicut, and the Kerala Institute for Local Administration (Thrissur).
We
feel that blacklisting a good friend of India, that too when the Prime Minister is
seeking to remove the barriers of protectionism, is not ‘good policy’; it will
only harm India’s prestige abroad, especially among long-time ‘friends of India’.
While the Union home ministry is said to have sought a report from the Bureau
of Immigration, the fact is, all decisions to deny entry to foreigners emanate
from those handling things in New Delhi, and individual immigration officers
are simply not in a position to provide any reason.
feel that blacklisting a good friend of India, that too when the Prime Minister is
seeking to remove the barriers of protectionism, is not ‘good policy’; it will
only harm India’s prestige abroad, especially among long-time ‘friends of India’.
While the Union home ministry is said to have sought a report from the Bureau
of Immigration, the fact is, all decisions to deny entry to foreigners emanate
from those handling things in New Delhi, and individual immigration officers
are simply not in a position to provide any reason.
The Government of India owes an apology to Mr. Vogele.