A Norwegian woman who participated in the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest in Kerala has been asked to leave the country by Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for a visa violation.
The woman identified as a 71-year-old Janne Mette Johansson is travelling on a tourist visa when she took part in the anti-CAA protests at Kochi on Monday (December 23). The authorities said that she violated the visa rules by taking part in the protest and has been asked to leave the country by Friday (December 27) 6 pm.
Johansson had also posted pictures of the protest on her Facebook handle. "This afternoon I participated in a protest march; People's Long March. It started out from Gandhi Circle Ernakulam and we marched with slogans and flags to Vasco da Gama Square Cochin, while the protesters were singing and chanting and with their fists up," read one of her posts.
Indian visa prohibits foreigners from participating in protests
The immigration officials had questioned her on Thursday. "I joined the protest after getting permission from the local police station. I would not have participated in the protest had I known I was breaking the Indian law," said Johansson, reported Manorama.
The visa rules set by the Indian government prohibits foreign nationals visiting the country for any purpose from participating in protests. Foreigners Regional Registration Officer in Kochi, Anoop Krishnan, IPS said that she is not being deported. "The immigration department is not mulling legal action against Johansson at the moment. Those are future things," adds the report.
Johansson reached India in October this year and came to Kerala last week. She visited Mumbai and Lucknow before coming to Kerala. Her visa will expire in March 2020.
