Australian journalist claims she was denied a visa extension, leaves India

NEW DELHI: Australian journalist Avani Dias who worked as the South Asia Bureau Chief for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), on Tuesday claimed that she was denied a visa extension by the Indian government because her reports “crossed a line.’’

Dias, who worked in India for the ABC since January 2022, left the country last week on April 19 when the first phase of Lok Sabha polls began.

However, an unnamed Indian government official said the claim of Dias was “not correct”.

The official added that she left because she had to meet the timeline for another job offer in Australia.

In a post on X, Dias said: “After Australian Government intervention, I got a mere two-month extension...less than 24 hours before my flight.”

She added, “We were also told my election accreditation would not come through because of an Indian Ministry directive. We left on day one of voting in the national election in what Modi calls the mother of democracy’.”

The development took place against the backdrop of the removal of Dias’s documentary on the killing last year of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada from YouTube India.

According to a statement by ABC News, Dias was informed of the decision to deny her a visa extension via a phone call from an official of the Ministry of External Affairs, who said her most recent Foreign Correspondent episode “crossed a line.’’