New Delhi : A Greenpeace International staff was denied entry into India as his named figured in Home Ministry’s ‘blacklist’, triggering protests from the NGO which dubbed allegations of wrongdoing as ‘farce and a smear’.
Aaron Gray-Block, a crisis response campaigner with Greenpeace International, was sent back to Australia from Bengaluru on Saturday. “Gray-Block arrived at Bengaluru airport on June 6 at 2340 hours. His name figured in the black list and thus was denied entry”, a Home Ministry spokesperson said.
Official sources said Gray-Block had earlier campaigned against mining of Mahan coal block (Madhya Pradesh) and had written several articles and blogs criticising the Indian government. A Greenpeace India statement quoting Gray-Block said, “We have not received any communication from the Ministry of Home Affairs or the Ministry of External Affairs in this regard. These ministries need to give an explanation to this.”
Gray-Block had flown in from Sydney on Saturday to take part in a series of meetings with staff. He was travelling on an Australian passport. The Australia-born former journalist lives in the Netherlands and has been associated with Greenpeace International for the past several years.
In a tweet, Gray-Block said he was refused entry into India despite having valid business visa. Under government’s scanner for allegedly violating various provisions of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, Greenpeace India claimed that no formal reason was given by immigration officials in Bangalore for the decision to turn back Gray-Block, who was not officially deported.
“I arrived at Bangalore Airport with a valid business visa issued by the Indian embassy in Australia. My visit to India was to learn more about Greenpeace India’s environmental campaigns on clean air, clean water and access to clean and cheap electricity. Any suggestion of wrongdoing is a farce and a smear. Indians, like Australians, have a right to clean air, clean water and climate friendly, non-polluting electricity. There is no reason for me to be included in any blacklist”, he said. Gray-Block claimed that his previous previous visit to India was to participate in a staff skill share and to support the communications related to Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo’s Indian visit.
The NGO claimed that as Gray-Block was denied entry, his passport was seized and he was later put on a flight to Kuala Lumpur. His passport was returned to him after he landed in Kuala Lumpur, said Greenpeace, adding that Gray-Block is now back in Australia.
The NGO further claimed that “this is not the first time Greenpeace staff from other countries have been denied entry into India”. In January, Greenpeace India activist Priya Pillai was offloaded from a flight to London. She was stopped by immigration officers in New Delhi airport from boarding her flight to the UK capital, where she was to address British Parliamentarians.
Delhi High Court later overturned the action by the Home Ministry and Pillai’s ‘offload’ passport stamp was formally expunged in May.
The Centre had in April blocked Greenpeace India’s bank accounts following which the environmental group had to seek interim relief from Delhi High Court. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar today said his ministry has ‘nothing to do’ with the denial of entry to a Greenpeace activist and said that it ‘values’ participation of various NGOs.
“We value NGOs’ participation. We have conducted a workshop recently and a consultation meeting of more than 125 NGOs who are working with masses in forests, wildlife management and many other things. NGOs are not one or two. There is no monopoly”, he said.
