Citing “malicious reportage” and visa violations, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has served a notice on a French journalist seeking an explanation why the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card allotted to her should not be cancelled.
The development comes days before the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron who is the chief guest at the Republic Day parade this year.
The journalist, Vanessa Dougnac, a French national, is married to an Indian and has been living in India for 22 years. She writes for French publications such as Le Point and La Croix.
A government source said the journalist has been on the radar for several instances of visa violations for the past one-and-a-half years.
The French Embassy had raised the issue earlier with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The French government had also raised the matter during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Paris in July 2023, it is learnt.
The notice served by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) alleged that Ms. Dougnac’s reports created a “biased negative perception about India”.
The source said the system picked up several visa violations and then investigated her past record. She came to India on a journalist visa but subsequently got the OCI card. The visa violations include travels to Ladakh and Nepal (from India) through different border points. Foreign journalists are not allowed to undertake such trips without special permits.
The source also added that she covered Naxal-hit areas in 2008 and did negative stories on atrocities against Christians. Further, she did a series of reports on South Asia — Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan etc — from India.
The notice was sent to her on January 19 and she has been asked to furnish a reply by February 2.
Denies allegations
Denying the allegations, Ms. Dougnac said in a statement on Tuesday, “I can confirm that I have received a notice from the concerned department of the Government of India, and that I deny all the allegations and imputations made therein against me and my conduct. India is my home, a country which I deeply love and respect, and I have never engaged in any acts that are in any manner prejudicial to Indian interests as is being alleged.”
She added that there is a legal process to deal with such matters with which she shall cooperate. “As the legal process is ongoing and the issues are pending consideration before the concerned authorities, I would request that the process is allowed to run its course and my privacy is respected during this time,” she said.
The MEA declined to comment. French Embassy officials did not respond to request for information.
