UK Revokes Visas to Two from Kerala

LONDON/T’PURAM: Britain has revoked visas issued to Sasikala teacher, chairperson of Hindu Aikya Vedi (United Hindu Front) and N Gopalakrishnan, director of Indian Institute of Scientific Heritage, T’Puram, who were invited to attend the first Hindu Religious Conference at Croydon in London, after a section of the Indian community in the UK complained about their campaigns on radical Hindutva ideology, London-based Asian Lite newspaper reported.

Community members had filed translations of the duo’s YouTube speeches and other social media messages with the authorities.

Gopalakrishnan said he and Sasikala were asked to come to the British consulate in Chennai on April 15 and asked questions for about 45 minutes. “Their way of asking questions and conducting the so-called interview was like imagining that we are terrorists or fundamentalists who are going to London for delivering provocative lectures,” he said

“Without giving any documents, our passports were taken. There is no response to email or phone calls. We have no information why our passports have been held up and when we will be getting the same,” he said.

Sasikala said she was promised that her passport would be returned by April 24.  The consulate did not respond to many phone calls and emails seeking information in this regard, she said.

“At the consulate, they asked me questions on the activities of Hindu Aikya Vedi, why we are going to London and whether anyone was opposed to us going to London. While taking my passport on April 16, they specifically told me that it would be sent back by April 24. They instructed us not to cancel our ticket. They were not ready to acknowledge my emails seeking info,” Sasikala said.

She said she had to suffer huge financial loss due to the lack of proper communication from the consulate.