Kashmiri journalist stopped from flying to Paris by Delhi airport officers
Sanna Irshad Mattoo, a Pulitzer-winning photojournalist, was travelling to Paris for a book launch and photography exhibition as one of 10 award winners of the Serendipity Arles grant 2020
Sanna Irshad Mattoo, a Pulitzer price award-winning Kashmiri photojournalist, wasn’t allowed to fly to Paris from the Delhi airport, today (July 2), she said in a Twitter post.
“I was scheduled to travel from Delhi to Paris today for a book launch and photography exhibition as one of 10 award winners of the Serendipity Arles grant 2020. Despite procuring a French visa, I was stopped at the immigration desk at Delhi airport,” she wrote on Twitter.
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I was scheduled to travel from Delhi to Paris today for a book launch and photography exhibition as one of 10 award winners of the Serendipity Arles grant 2020. Despite procuring a French visa, I was stopped at the immigration desk at Delhi airport. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/OoEdBBWNw6
— Sanna Irshad Mattoo (@mattoosanna) July 2, 2022
Sanna also shared a picture of her cancelled Air India boarding pass on her Twitter page.
The Kashmiri photojournalist further said she wasn’t given any reason as to why she was stopped at the airport, but was only told that she wouldn’t be able to travel internationally.
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The post by Sanna, attracted various comments by other Twitter users. One comment by @takethecanollli, said: “this the democracy they talk about.”
Media reports pointed out this isn’t the first time a Kashmiri journalist has been stopped at the airport unjustifiably. In 2019, journalist Gowhar Geelani was stopped at the Delhi airport from travelling to a journalists’ conference in Germany.
