In yet another punitive action against international NGO Greenpeace International, the Centre has denied entry to the outfit’s crisis response campaigner Aaron Gray-Block into India as his name figured in the Union Home Ministry blacklist. The move comes months after one of the NGO’s campaigners Priya Pillai was offloaded from a flight to london.
The Immigration department did not allow entry to Block who landed at Bangalore airport from Australia late on Saturday night. “His name figures in the blacklist. If someone has done something which is not acceptable to the law of the land, he or she would not be allowed to enter again,” said a senior MHA official on Monday. The activist was under the radar of Intelligence Bureau for actively involving in organising protests in India.
“Gray-Block arrived at Bengaluru airport on June 6 at 2340 hours. His name figured in the blacklist and thus was denied entry,” a Home Ministry spokesperson said here on Monday. Greenpeace India, which was under the Government’s scanner for allegedly violating various provisions of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, said Gray-Block had flown in from Sydney on Saturday to take part in a series of meetings with staff here. He was travelling on an Australian passport.
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. The Australia-born former journalist lives in the Netherlands and has been associated with Greenpeace International for past several years.
In a statement here on Monday, Greenpeace India claimed that no formal reason was given by immigration officials in Bengaluru for the decision to turn back Gray-Block, who was not officially deported. “Our colleague has a valid business visa, and yet he was prevented from entering India with no reason given. There is absolutely no reason why one of (Greenpeace International’s) staff members should be treated in such an arbitrary way, and we expect the Ministry of Home Affairs to offer a full explanation,” said Divya Raghunandan, Programme Director, Greenpeace India.
As soon, the Australian was landed, Immigration officials denied entry and his passport was seized. 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 Gray-Block is now back in Australia. 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.