New Delhi: A Nepali woman en route to Berlin was prevented from boarding her connecting flight at Indira Gandhi International Airport, prompting India to swiftly deny any involvement by its immigration officials.
Shambhavi Adhikari had landed in the Indian capital aboard an Air India service from Kathmandu and was due to continue to Germany on Qatar Airways. Airline staff, however, refused to let her board, citing doubts over the validity of her visa, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement issued Saturday.
“It was the airlines which decided not to let her undertake her onward travel to Germany considering her visa validity and flew her back to Kathmandu,” the MHA explained. International transit passengers, it added, never clear Indian immigration for onward journeys; such checks fall entirely to the carrier and comply with the destination country’s entry rules.
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Far from facing any official hurdle, Adhikari simply rebooked, chose an alternate routing and reached Berlin without further delay, authorities confirmed.
The episode briefly sparked online chatter suggesting bias against Nepali nationals. The MHA rejected the narrative outright. “The incident has been wrongly portrayed as bias/discrimination against Nepali citizens. It is to clarify that the Indian immigration authorities have no role to play in this entire episode,” the statement read.
India underlined the “strong relationship” it shares with Nepal and reiterated that its border agencies harbour no prejudice toward Nepali travellers.
Qatar Airways has not commented publicly on the decision. Airline spokespersons routinely cite passenger privacy when declining to discuss individual cases.
The clarification comes amid heightened sensitivity over transit protocols at one of Asia’s busiest hubs, where millions connect annually under strict visa and document scrutiny enforced by carriers long before any government stamp is required.
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