Conditions imposed on Nitu Singh’s return withdrawn

Decks have been cleared for the return of Nitu Singh, a student of Pune’s Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), from Nepal, with the Maharashtra government suspending her deportation order and withdrawing multiple conditions imposed in order to allow her to complete her studies.

Intervening in the matter, Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil issued an order withdrawing the conditions on Ms. Singh to facilitate her to return and complete her course at the FTII.

However, the condition that she should refrain from speaking to the media after her return would remain.

All other conditions — such as not being allowed to move out of the FTII campus and being allowed only a month-long stay — have been withdrawn.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and Rajya Sabha member Brinda Karat, who described the imposition of multiple conditions as “absurd, unfair and unjust,” has welcomed the State government’s decision.

Ms. Karat, who spoke to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Heavy Industries Minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh and Mr. Patil on Saturday, said she highly appreciated their intervention in the matter.

“While appreciating their intervention which will facilitate Nitu Singh’s return to Pune and allow her to complete her course, I hope they will also inquire as to how she was deported to Kathmandu,” Ms. Karat told The-Hindu on Saturday.

Ms. Singh, 30, who was about to complete her three-year postgraduate diploma in film editing, was deported by the police on December 5, 2009, to Kathmandu, citing her “anti-national activities.” She had been a student of the FTII since October 2005, and married Amresh Kumar Singh in May 2007.

Her deportation evoked sharp protests and the matter was taken up by the All-India Democratic Women’s Association.