Actor Orlando Bloom who featured in Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean landed in India despite being informed that the electronic tourist visa (e-TV) he had applied for was rejected and he was never issued electronic travel authorisation (ETA) e-mail, an inquiry by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has revealed.
A copy of Mr. Bloom’s passport uploaded by his office on the eTV portal, a mandatory requirement for the visa, was illegible, resulting in the authorities rejecting his application on December 3-4 itself, an official said.
Indian officials said Mr. Bloom was informed in advance of the rejection of his application through e-mail, but he chose to come anyway. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had to intervene when she was informed by the former Samajwadi Party leader, Amar Singh, that the actor had been deported. Mr. Bloom was invited by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to promote tourism in the country.
The British-born actor travelled to Delhi on December 20 by a British Airways flight from the U.K. and was sent back the same day.
Following Ms. Swaraj’s intervention, Mr. Bloom was given a tatkal (emergency) visa and in the meantime his office had also applied for another e-TV, which was processed within 24 hours.
Mr. Bloom was invited by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to promote tourism in the country.
The actor travelled to Delhi on December 20 by a British Airways(BA) flight from the U.K. and was sent back the same day. Following Ms. Swaraj’s intervention, Mr. Bloom was given a ‘tatkal’ (emergency) visa. In the meantime, his office applied for another e-TV, and the application was processed within 24 hours. Mr. Bloom came to India a day later on another BA flight, and this time he had two visas.
An official, explaining the deportation, said: “The western countries adopt zero-tolerance towards visa anomaly. They never hesitate to detain actors like Shah Rukh Khan despite valid travel documents. They did not even spare the Indian Ambassador to U.S. Meera Shankar, who had to undergo a pat-down search for wearing a sari. This [Bloom’s case] was a reason genuine enough to turn him away. Once his papers were in order, he was allowed in India.”
As soon as he landed at the IGI Airport in Delhi, a message flashed across the screen of the immigration official which put him under the “rejected” category. The over-cautious immigration officials then took him to the detention centre at the airport and grilled him for an hour. “He kept telling the immigration officials that he is a famous movie star, but none of them recognised him. He then said he was not feeling well and wanted to see a doctor. We called the doctor, who is on our board who recognised Mr. Bloom immediately,” said a senior official.
The high-end drama did not end there. Mr. Bloom said he was a guest of the U.P. government and he must be allowed to go. “He then made a plea that he be admitted to hospital. He was informed that once he is discharged from the hospital, he would still be deported. Mr. Bloom then said he no more felt the need to go to hospital. He was deported once the doctor gave the green signal,” said the official.
Government had launched e-Tourist Visa scheme in 2014 and it was extended to 113 Countries in a phased manner. Sixteen Indian airports including Delhi airport have thus far been designated for providing e-Tourist visa service. Under the scheme, an applicant has to apply online with provision of pre-authorization of visa in the form of ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation), which has to be produced on arrival in India. The visa service under the scheme is being rendered in time-bound manner and the status is communicated to applicant via e-mail within 72 hours of making online application.
