New Delhi:
Australian journalist Avani Dias created a storm when she claimed she was asked to leave India because of her reporting, an accusation the Center has called 'misleading'.
Who is Avani Dias
Avani Dias is South Asia Bureau Chief at Australia's ABC News and is based in New Delhi. She previously hosted the current affairs program Hack on the youth radio station Triple J.
Ms Dias has won and been nominated for several journalism awards, including the Public Interest Award at the New South Wales Premier's Multicultural Communications Awards in 2019.
She published a video report on YouTube last month about India's alleged involvement in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, an allegation made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Nijjar, 45, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in British Columbia, Canada, in June. He was head of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force and one of India's most wanted terrorists. India calls the accusations 'absurd' and 'motivated'.
What is her claim?
The 32-year-old journalist claims she encountered problems renewing her visa after a report critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. She claims she was asked to leave India abruptly and was not allowed to cover the Lok Sabha elections.
Avani Dias said on social media platform
“Last week I had to leave India abruptly. The Modi government told me my visa extension would be denied and said my reporting “crossed a line”. After Australian government intervention, I was only given a two-month extension…less than 24 hours before my flight,” she said in a post on X (formerly Twitter)
We were also told that my election accreditation would not go through due to a directive from the Indian Ministry. We left on the first day of voting in the national elections in what Modi calls “the mother of democracy.”
Hear more on our podcast In Search of Modi: https://t.co/rn6wTkdI21
— Avani Dias (@AvaniDias) April 22, 2024
“We were also told that my election accreditation would not go through due to a directive from the Ministry of India,” Ms Dias added.
India's response
Sources within the Union government have called Ms Dias' claims 'misleading and mischievous', insisting that the journalist had violated visa rules yet was assured that her visa would be extended so she could report on the elections.
“The claim by Australian Broadcasting Corporation South Asia Correspondent Avani Dias that she was banned from covering the elections and forced to leave the country is incorrect, misleading and mischievous,” the source said.
“Ms Dias was found to have violated visa rules during her professional activities. Despite this, upon her request, she was assured that her visa would be extended to cover the general election. Her previous visa was valid until April 20, 2024,” the source added.
Furthermore, the sources stressed that her claims about not being allowed to cover elections are also factually incorrect, adding that covering election activities outside the booths is allowed for all journalists with visas.
Will Avani Dias now beat the elections?
The ABC journalist has been granted a two-month visa extension to cover the Lok Sabha polls after lobbying the office of Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and other diplomats, ABC News reported. The notification came 24 hours before Ms. Dias was due to leave the country, she said.
But she chose to leave India.
Australian officials have said Ms Dias chose to leave the country even though Indian authorities had extended her visa.
Australia is happy that the Indian government has granted a visa to the journalist even though by then she had chosen to leave India,” an Australian High Commission source told The Hindu.