Tharoor on Orsini's deportation: 'Minor visa violations harm India's image'
What's the story
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has reacted to the recent deportation of Hindi scholar Francesca Orsini from Delhi airport. Orsini, a professor emerita at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, was denied entry on October 21 for allegedly violating visa conditions. She had arrived from Hong Kong on a tourist visa and was blacklisted in March for previous violations, according to officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Scholarly debate
Tharoor agrees with Dasgupta's column
Tharoor's comments came after former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Swapan Dasgupta wrote a column saying the state should ensure visa compliance but shouldn't judge a professor's scholarship in an article titled Orsini furore shows perils of visa vigilantes. "India must guard against any impression it has closed its doors on foreign scholars," Dasgupta said. Sharing the post on X, Tharoor agreed with Dasgupta, saying deporting foreign scholars over minor visa violations harms India's image as a country and culture.
Academic impact
Orsini's deportation sparks debate
Orsini, an Italian national, is known for her work as a Hindi scholar and author of the book The Hindi Public Sphere 1920-1940: Language and Literature in the Age of Nationalism. Her deportation has been criticized by historians and intellectuals who are concerned about how foreign academics are treated in India. Tharoor concluded his post by saying "Official India needs to grow a thicker skin, a broader mind & a bigger heart."
Twitter Post
Tharoor's post sharing Swapan Dasgupta's article
For once, I agree with @Swapan55!
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 2, 2025
Rolling out an “unwelcome mat“ at our airport immigration counters to deport foreign scholars and academics because of trivial visa violations is doing us far more damage — as a country, a culture and an internationally-credible nation — than… https://t.co/8bA8y8pziy