Man speaks of his alleged detainment at Delhi Airport
The Fijian businessman who was allegedly detained for two nights at the Delhi Airport after Indian authorities told him his visa was denied, has spoken of his ordeal. Sheikh Kamal Khalil, the owner of United Pacific Limited, went to India with the intent of buying a plastic bag-making machine. The Polypropylene bag making machine is said to have cost $1 million.
“I arrived at Delhi airport on Saturday morning (India Time on December 10), and while I was waiting at the immigration line some officers came and took me to a room and from there took me to a detention room,” Mr Khalil said. “While I was being detained, the officers told me that my visa was denied to India and that I was to immediately make arrangements to go out of India. “They would not let me speak to anyone as I had tried to inform them that I had a valid visa for three months issued to me by the Edited by Rusiate Mataika Indian High Commission in Suva, Fiji. “They kept me in the detention room for two nights without food and there were no provisions to sleep as well. I was only told to sit on a chair.” Mr Khalil said when he received his passport on Monday after arranging to leave for China there was stamp on his passport that read ‘Cancelled without prejudice’. This is an embassy or consulate stamp of cancellation that indicates an administrative mistake in the visa.
It sometimes indicates that there is a mistake in the visa or that the visa is a duplicate. It does not affect the validity of other visas in the passport and does not prejudice future visa applications. A “Cancelled Without Prejudice” stamp does not prevent the passport holder from getting another visa. “It must be stamped when they detained me because when I left Fiji I had a valid visa to India,” he said. Mr Khalil is now in China, to procure the same machine he couldn’t get in India. “Upon my arrival in Fiji next week Thursday I will be going to the Indian High Commission in Suva to enquire why I had been detained and why my trip was unsuccessful.” The Indian High Commissioner to Fiji Vishvas Sapkal said: “I am worried about what had happened and am seeking details from India regarding the incident.”
United Pacific is a manufacturer of industrial packaging material packing sacks and paper bags based in Nasinu. Edited by Ranoba Baoa