India on Monday strongly protested China after an Indian citizen was allegedly detained and humiliated at a Chinese airport. New Delhi issued a “strong and unequivocal demarche” to Beijing, both through the Indian Embassy in China and the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi, sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
The diplomatic rebuke, one of the sharpest in recent years, was issued within hours of the issue coming to light. Pem Wang Thongdok, who was travelling from London to Japan via Shanghai, was detained and allegedly humiliated for more than 18 hours at the Shanghai Pudong Airport.
New Delhi described the incident as utterly unacceptable and legally indefensible. The Indian consulate in Shanghai also intervened immediately to assist Thongdok. Thongdok said her ordeal began when immigration officers flagged her Indian passport. Upon noticing Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace, officials allegedly declared the document “invalid,” claiming the State was “part of China.”
Her passport was then confiscated and she was barred from boarding her flight despite holding a valid visa. She claims she was humiliated, denied food, mocked by officials and told to “apply for a Chinese passport.” Her passport was returned only after she agreed to purchase an entirely new ticket on China Eastern Airlines, leaving her with financial losses from missed flights and hotel bookings.
According to senior MEA officials, India conveyed to the Chinese side that the reasons cited for detaining the passenger were “completely unacceptable.” The demarche stressed that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India, and all residents of the state are fully entitled to hold and travel with valid Indian passports.
“Such actions introduce unnecessary obstructions at a time when both countries are working to restore normalcy in bilateral relations,” a Government source said. The episode comes at a delicate moment in India-China relations, as both sides have been exploring avenues to stabilise ties.