http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/dec/20george.htm?q=tp&file=.htm
“Mumbai Airport immigration officials deported seven-year-old Viraj Shriwardhankar and his three-and-a-half-year-old brother Vrishabh two hours after they landed in India last week.
Their parents' plea for a transit or temporary visa was summarily denied.
The officials granted a two-day transit visa to a French national at the same time, their father Vijay Shriwardhankar wrote in an e-mail.”
Location: Western Hemisphere
Posted on: 20-12-06 14:19:48
The color of the skin card plays out nice and convenient, although, there is no evidence to that fact. The french national with a white skin got a transit visa...yet, the article states that India does not issue transit visa to foreign nationals.
I have known Americans (yep, the white kind) who have assumed that they can simply hop on a plane and go anywhere, only to be denied boarding due to inadequate documents.
How about the deeper reasons and decision behind the French person getting the "transit visa"? Or was it truly a transit visa that was issued?
By the way, India does not require a visa if you are transiting through.
The article quotes "Their elder son has a ten-year Indian visa in an old passport which the family did not carry with them. The younger son has a Person of Indian Origin card. That too the family did not have with them."
Bottomline, the stupidity lies in the hands of the airline and the passenger. The airline is obligated to verify entry documents and I hope they get fined per Indian laws for failing to do that. And the passengers bear full responsibility to make sure they have all the documents for entry instead of being careless and taking up the trip.
Anyway, the Indian authorities could have handled it differently and much better, I suppose, even if they wanted to deny entry.
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Dimple2001
Laws are Laws. Whether you are landing on US/Canada or any other country, you will deported back without proper visa/passport.
It is Shameful and very rude on the part of the officers. If the Story is Narrated Entirely AS IS. It is so Easy to Blame it on System and Officers.
Sole purpose of Transit Visa is to let holder to travel through India (or I think defination does not change for any other Country) to reach ultimate destination. French man got it, while our Indian Friend did not. "Was it truely a Transit Visa that was issued?" I am not too sure if India has any kind of Visa on Arrival. There is no provision of 'Visa on Arrival' in India. Transit Visa cannot be obtained from immigration counters at ports of entry in India. So what did "White French Man" do differently to get it?
Officials should have given them more time - if again timeline story is true.
He was out of India for so many Years - that, I think, he forgot to deal with these Officers. You dont need to "Mai-Baap" them. But atleast don't Piss them Off, No need to act Smart a$$ ... specially when you know you are at wrong end of the stick. Just Don't create any Scene. Accept it and Move on - if that means to get Benjamin Franklin out of your Pocket, do it.
It'll be very Interesting to know the actual beginning of the Story.
And to top it up - "The officials received the fax 10 minutes after the flight departed, the couple discovered later". Now how did you learn that? Officials might have Phoned you in Boston.
Yes Responsibility falls on Him & AirLine. What I gather is that he knew that he forgot & he is in trouble - "The family requested an immigration official for temporary or transit visas for the children."
I have travelled Enough (if not a lot) to know that Mumbai Officials do co-operate if you also co-operate. These days they infact have improved a lot. Unless ofcourse if they have some Unwritten Law for Indians coming from America.
If you wanna Bitch and act smart ... get ready to face the reality.
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Mumbai Maazi Ladki ...
He and his family had to pay for his ignorance. A well educated guy living out of India for such a long time and he does not know what travel documents he must carry while traveling to an International destination? I would call him an idiot.
It is a good lesson for those who take things for granted in India or show their Green Card instead of Indian passport when arrived at an Indian airport. As his own story contradictory so we can not blindly blame Indian officials too… only he know what was the real story and treatment he got at the airport. The bottomline the guy was without proper traveling documents and any country would do the same what Indian officials did.
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Dont help others because others have helped you,,,,help others because its the right thing to do!!!
http://www.indopia.in/
Why would you guys even judge what happened there. None of you were there and don't know what exactly happened. Why would you even judge and make a conclusion without even knowing the exact details of something as complex as immigration ...
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We will find a way or we will make one
Writer Posts it on Rediff ... and it came here on Charcha. We are Charch-ing.
In Human behaviour - may be. Who knows - as you said, I was not there. I believe that there must be something more that we didn't get to read.
I did not like the Tone of the Letter. He did mention that he forgot. But does not want to take responsibilities of his Actions. Don't Spit, nobody likes that. Suck it up.
He was blaming all on Mumbai Officials ...
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Mumbai Maazi Ladki ...
