Stopping Francesca Orsini From Entering India is an Insult to the Very Concept and Culture of Knowledge
Yogesh Pratap Shekhar | 21 October 2025 | The Wire
The morning after the festival of lights, Diwali, came news of darkness. Francesca Orsini, a renowned scholar of Hindi, was turned back from Delhi Airport despite having a valid visa. Orsini is a scholar of Hindi, respected worldwide, and has devoted her entire life to the study of the Hindi language and literature. She is a respected Professor Emerita at the ‘SOAS’ (School of Oriental and African Studies), University of London, where she has served for many years.
It is worth asking – when Orsini had a valid visa, then why was she stopped from entering India? Orsini is possibly the fourth scholar who has been denied entry into India despite holding a valid visa. The question is – who feels threatened by Orsini’s arrival in India? If one pauses to think, it becomes clear that the present BJP government has constructed an imaginary narrative….