Kashmiri journalist and author Gowhar Geelani on Saturday was detained at IGI Airport in New Delhi and stopped from leaving the country according to a news report by The Indian Express.
Reportedly Geelani was travelling to Germany to attend a conference organised by Deutsche Welle, the German public broadcaster.
Geelani claimed that he has joined the German Media organisation as an editor and was on way to its headquarters for an 8-day journalist training programme beginning September 1 when he was stopped at IGI Airport.
Geelani said. “I had checked in, and at the Immigration was asked by the staff to accompany them to a room, where an officer, who identified himself as Abhishek, told me that they have instructions not to allow me to leave the country.”
Geelani claimed that he was not given any written order or an explanation for his detention but was only told that he was being stopped from stepping out of the country due to the situation prevailing in Kashmir.
“The officer said he cannot share any written order or explanation with me. He told me it is because of the current situation in Kashmir (that he was stopped), and he was following orders from higher-ups,” Geelani said.
Sources at IGI Airport told The Sunday Express that Geelani has been detained based on a request by the Intelligence Bureau.
The report said his baggage has already been offloaded. “As of now, he is with Immigration officials. Intelligence agencies have been informed; they will question him further,” a source told The Indian Express.
Earlier this month, Kashmiri IAS officer-turned-politician Shah Faesal was stopped at New Delhi’s IGI Airport while he was on way to Boston, USA.
