Shashi Tharoor Criticizes Deportation of Hindi Scholar Francesca Orsini, Calls for Greater Tolerance Toward Foreign Academics

Francesca Orsini, a Hindi scholar, was deported to the United Kingdom on October 21 due to alleged visa norm violations.

Following the deportation of Hindi scholar Francesca Orsini from Delhi last week for breaching visa conditions, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has stated that India's establishment "needs to grow a thicker skin, a broader mind and a bigger heart."

Tharoor's comments came in response to former BJP MP Swapan Dasgupta's column, which argued that while the State must enforce compliance, it should not judge a professor's academic credentials. Dasgupta emphasized that "India must guard against any impression it has closed its doors on foreign scholars."

Endorsing Dasgupta's viewpoint, Tharoor expressed concern about the practice of deporting foreign academics over minor visa infractions. He stated, "Rolling out an 'unwelcome mat' at our airport immigration counters to deport foreign scholars and academics because of trivial visa violations is doing us far more damage - as a country, a culture and an internationally-credible nation - than any number of negative articles in foreign academic journals could ever accomplish."

Tharoor shared his perspective on social media platform X, adding that "Official India needs to grow a thicker skin, a broader mind & a bigger heart."

Orsini, who holds the position of professor emerita at London's School of Oriental and African Studies, was prevented from entering India at Delhi airport on October 21 after arriving from Hong Kong. Officials indicated she was traveling on a tourist visa and had been blacklisted in March for previous visa condition violations.

An official source explained to PTI news agency: "This is a standard global practice that if a person is found violating visa conditions, he/she can be blacklisted."

According to Indian government regulations, foreign nationals must strictly adhere to the declared purpose of their visit as stated in their visa applications.

The Italian-born academic previously taught at Cambridge before joining the University of London. She has contributed significantly to Hindi scholarship and authored "The Hindi Public Sphere 1920-1940: Language and Literature in the Age of Nationalism." Her deportation has prompted strong criticism from historians and intellectual communities.