No discrimination, says India on Nepali woman’s travel issue

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has clarified that Indian immigration authorities had no role in the recent incident involving Nepali citizen Shambhavi Adhikari, who was stopped at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) while on her way to Berlin.

According to the MHA statement, Adhikari arrived in Delhi from Kathmandu on an Air India flight and was scheduled to board a Qatar Airways flight to Germany. However, Qatar Airways reportedly denied her boarding due to concerns regarding the validity of her visa. As a result, the airline decided to send her back to Kathmandu, following standard international travel procedures that comply with the destination country’s visa requirements.

The ministry emphasized that international transit passengers in India are not required to clear immigration for their onward journey. “This was entirely a matter between the airline and the passenger,” the release said, adding that Indian immigration officials were not involved in the decision.

Adhikari later rescheduled her travel and successfully flew to Germany via another route from Kathmandu.

Rejecting claims of bias or discrimination, the MHA reaffirmed India’s commitment to its friendly ties with Nepal. “India values its strong relationship with Nepal and assures that no Indian authority holds any bias or discrimination against citizens of Nepal,” the statement concluded.

The clarification came after reports suggested that Adhikari was unfairly treated at the Delhi airport - claims now refuted by the ministry.