India admits blocking UK visit by activist.
trip would 'harm' national interest
NEW DELHI: the Indian ministry of home affairs has said it prevented a Greenpeace India activist from flying in January to Britain, where she was scheduled to brief parliamentarians on the effect of mining on indigenous communities in central India, because her visit would have been "prejudicial to the national interest" and hurt India's image abroad.
Priya pillai, an activist who had been fighting a coal-mining project by Essar Energy and Hindalco Industries in the Mahan forest, was stopped by immigration control at the airport in New Delhion Jan 11 and barred from travelling.
A government affidavit in the case, which was made available on Saturday, said Ms Pillai's name appeared on a no-fly list generated from a secret database of the Intelligence Bureau.
Shortly thereafter, she filed a court petition against the ministry of home affairs, asking for her right to travel to Britain to brief the parliamentarians to be re-instated, as well as for monetary compensation for mental trauma and harassment.
The case has raised alarm among some nongovernmental organisations, which say the government of the new prime minister, Narendra Modi, is continuing the previous government's policy of singling out NGOs that it believes are hurting the country's potential for economic growth. Greenpeace India said the pillia case and other government actions made social welfare groups feel scrutinised.
"If you ask me, it's a possible pincer strategy," Samit Aich, the executive director of Greenpeace India is at the forefront of being targeted, but most certainly there is a sense that, for civil society, this is a message,"
An Intelligence'Bureau report made public last summer said several foreign based and local NGOs that oppose various development projects were hurting India's economy. Greenpeace,Action Aid, Amnesty International and several other local groups were named in the report. some leaders of the groups are further