New Delhi: The British High Commission is in talks with Indian authorities for the release of two citizens of that country who were arrested in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday for crossing into India from Nepal without valid documents.
It has been claimed that the two Britons, both audiology specialists working on a medical mission in Nepal, crossed the border at Rupaidiha out of mere curiosity. They were probably not aware that only Indian and Nepalese citizens are allowed to cross the border without visas.
The two have been identified as Hassan Amman Saleem (35), a British citizen of Pakistani origin, who resides in Manchester, and Sumitra Shakeel Olivia (61) from Gloucester. Olivia is originally from Udupi, Karnataka.
The arrests took place amid heightened security checks at the Rupaidiha border following the November 10 car explosion in Delhi that killed 15 people and injured several others.
The two were detained by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and handed over to the local police after they walked across the border. Ganga Singh Udawat, commandant of the SSB’s 42nd Battalion, confirmed.
British officials have said that the two were part of a team that travelled to Nepalgunj, a city close to the Indian border, on the invitation of a local hospital. The pair left their team during free time to visit the frontier, Neil Weir, the founder of Britain Nepal Otology Service or BRINOS, said.
“It was pure curiosity’ that prompted them to go near the border. They initially intended to look at the border from the Nepalese side,” Weir told The Times, adding that Olivia had been “keen to put a foot in India” despite warnings from Nepalese authorities not to cross.
“During scrutiny of their documents, it was found that both were British nationals and did not possess valid Indian visas,” the SSB officer told PTI, adding that “They failed to provide a satisfactory reason for their entry into India. They have been handed over to the Rupaidiha police for further action.”
Indian officials said that Olivia, a clinical lead in paediatric audiology at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, is of Indian-origin but does not hold an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. This is a long-term visa facility for people of Indian origin. She therefore requires a regular visa to enter India despite having family in this country.
Normally, those accused of entering India without valid documents are tried under the Foreigners’ Act. In this case, though, the two are likely to be handed over to British High Commission officials, to be sent back to Nepal.
