Shashi Tharoor criticised the deportation of London-based scholar Francesca Orsini, saying “official India needs a thicker skin, a broader mind, and a bigger heart.”
He argued that deporting foreign academics over minor visa violations harms India’s global image more than critical academic writings ever could.
Tharoor’s remarks came in response to Swapan Dasgupta’s post, which stated that while visa rules must be followed, the government should not judge a scholar’s work or intent.
Days after London-based scholar Francesca Orsini was deported from the Delhi airport over alleged violation of visa conditions, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said official India needs to grow a thicker skin, a broader mind and a bigger heart.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP said rolling out an "unwelcome mat" at airport immigration counters to deport foreign scholars and academics because of trivial visa violations is doing the country far more damage than any number of negative articles in foreign academic journals could ever do.
Tharoor's remarks came in response to a post by former BJP MP Swapan Dasgupta in which he shared his article in a newspaper, arguing that while it is the duty of the state to ensure compliance with visa conditions, it has no business to assess the scholarship of a professor.
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