The Union Home Ministry on Saturday issued an official statement denying allegations of harassment of a Nepali national at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), dismissing reported claims as “factually incorrect”. The Home Ministry clarified that the Nepali woman was denied travel to Germany from Delhi by Qatar Airways, and the Indian government had no role in it. The clarification came after the woman flying to Berlin to attend World Health Summit 2025 was returned from Delhi by Indian authorities. Her claims were published in several Nepali media reports.
According to the government statement, incident has been wrongly portrayed as bias / discrimination against Nepali citizens. The home ministry said that after Shambhawi Adhikari arrived on an Air India flight from Kathmandu and proceeded to her connecting Qatar Airways flight to Berlin, she was denied travel by the airline, not the government. The MHA statement said, “It is to clarify that the Indian immigration authorities have no role to play in this entire episode. The said passenger arrived from Kathmandu by Air India and was transiting through Delhi. She was stopped while boarding the connecting flight of Qatar Airways. It was the airlines which decided not to let her undertake her onward travel to Germany considering her visa validity and flew her back to Kathmandu. This is usually undertaken in accordance with the destination country rules / requirements. She then rescheduled her travel dates and later travelled taking another route from Kathmandu.”
The MHA further clarified that “International transit passengers are not required to approach Indian Immigration for their onward journey and this is a matter between the airlines and the passenger with absolutely no role of Indian immigration authorities.” The statement added, “India values its strong relationship with Nepal and reassures that no Indian authority has any bias or discrimination against citizens of Nepal.”
Earlier, Shambhawi Adhikari claimed in a Facebook post that a few weeks ago, she was detained and interrogated for eight hours at the airport during transit despite holding valid travel documents. As per her, airport officials accused her of having “suspicious travel plans.” She also alleged that an officer tore her boarding pass, confiscated her passport, and denied her food and water during the detention.
She claimed that when she got connected to Nepal Embassy with the help of a passenger, the embassy spoke with Nepal Airlines and tried to bring her back to Nepal, but allegedly Air India refused to let her fly with any other airline. She further claimed that she was eventually Nepal Airlines Corporation intervened, and she was flown back home.
She claimed that she was doubted only because she was holding a Nepali passport. Her claims in the social media post were reported by Nepali media, prompting MHA to issue the denial.
Shambhawi Adhikari later flew to Berlin on Quatar Airways with a transit in Doha. She along with another Nepali national Alina Akeli Chettri represented at World Health Summit 2025 held in Germany from October 12–14. She is the International Relations Officer of Nepal Health Corps, a non-profit organization that functions as a network of young healthcare professionals and students.
