Free world: On the deportation of Francesca Orsini Politics & News

The free movement of people and ideas is integral to a globalised world. But India continues to send out conflicting signals on this count. On the one hand it wants to welcome technology, capital and know-how from all corners of the world but on the other, it is also trying to insulate itself, feeling insecure about an alleged global conspiracy against it. The deportation of Francesca Orsini, a scholar of Hindi and South Asian literature and professor emerita at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London, from Delhi airport on October 20, 2025 has to be seen in this context. She held a valid five-year e-tourist visa but was blacklisted in March 2025 for violation of visa conditions. Ms. Orsini had allegedly engaged in academic activities during a visit in October 2024, which were, technically, a violation of the terms of her tourist visa. Her influential work, The Hindi Public Sphere 1920-1940: Language and Literature in the Age of Nationalism, has significantly contributed to the understanding of Indian literary and cultural history. She is one among the many foreign scholars who have devoted their lives to researching and writing on various aspects of India. The argument about violations may well be true, but also evident is the arbitrariness in deportation decisions. Foreign business leaders visiting India routinely make political statements praising the government, which can be termed a violation of visa conditions.

Those who see themselves as guardians of India’s national security will have to think hard on the cost and benefits of restricting the entry of international scholars into the country. Many people associated with the ideological ecosystem of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party believe that there is an international conspiracy to influence the thinking of Indians. This thought is reflected in policy actions that restrict non-governmental organisations and scholars. There are various forces globally at play at any given point, some favouring India, and some not. While the country must have a strategy to harness the forces that help it and counter those that do not, it cannot do this by fencing itself in. In Ms. Orsini’s case, there is nothing beyond the claim that she violated visa conditions, To begin with, visa conditions should be more welcoming of scholars, scientists and experts. It is also relevant in this context that there are several global leaders in many fields who are of Indian origin but are citizens of another country. A country that feels threatened by authors, scientists and thinkers will have little chance of realising its full potential. Open societies have their vulnerabilities; but trying to fix them by turning into a closed society will stunt progress without necessarily enhancing security.