Reports quoting Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said that the subject of French journalist Vanessa Dougnac‘s visa violation was discussed with the French side both before and during President Emmanuel Macron’s visit.
As per reports, the government has said that the notice issued to the journalist was “not related to her work” and clarified that she had “violated visa rules”.
The same was conveyed by India to the French delegation during bilateral talks. This comes exactly a week after a notice was issued to Dougnac reportedly asking why her OCI card should not be withdrawn.
As per a report by The Print, the notice was issued over her “malicious” work which has created a “biased negative perception” of India and over alleged violation of visa rules.
The Foreigners Registration Office (FRRO) notice of the MHA was issued to her on 18th January. A response was sought from her by 2nd February.
Dougnac has also cooperated with relevant authorities, reports claim. Moreover, Kwatra said that France appreciated India’s “frame of reference” to look at the case through a lens of rules compliance.
“People are free to do what they are accredited to do in a given space. But here I think the principal issue is whether the person is compliant with the rules and regulations of the state under which they come,” he reportedly said.
Meanwhile, a group of 30 foreign correspondents residing in India signed an open letter to MHA expressing their “deep concern” for Dougnac.
An open letter from the foreign correspondents of India, in solidarity with our colleague Vanessa Dougnac pic.twitter.com/pAdxyoAh4L
— Hannah Ellis-Petersen (@HannahEP) January 26, 2024
“Ms Dougnac, who has lived in India for more than two decades and is highly regarded as a senior journalist covering South Asia, has cooperated with the relevant authorities in an effort to remove any misunderstanding,” the letter read.
The letter was signed largely by French and Western media including The New York Times, Le Monde, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and more.
