Uyghur leader applied for visa in wrong category: Rijiju

Defending the decision to cancel the visa given to a leading Chinese dissident, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said the leader of World Uyghur Congress had applied for the travel document in a wrong category, leading to the cancellation of the visa.

“He (Dolkun Isa) had given wrong information on why he wanted to visit India. The e-visa application said he wanted to come as a tourist though he was coming here to attend a conference and that is why we had to cancel his visa,” the Union minister of state for home told reporters.

Rijiju was reacting to question on why India has cancelled the visa given to Dolkun Isa, a leader of WUC, who lives in Germany and was invited for the conference being organised by United States-based ‘Initiatives for China’.

Rijiju, who handles the visa issue in the home ministry, said Isa should have applied for conference visa rather than applying for tourist visa.

But he applied for e-visa by giving wrong information, Rijiju said.

The minister said India would have to arrest Isa if he visits here as an Interpol red corner notice is pending against him.

Beijing had expressed its unhappiness over issuing the Indian visa to Isa.