Writer Aakar Patel stopped from flying to US

NT Correspondent

Former Amnesty International India chief, writer Aakar Patel has alleged that he was stopped from travelling to the United States at Bengaluru airport over a lookout circular issued against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Patel claimed that he was told by Immigration officials about the CBI circular against him. The central probe agency had raided the premi s e s o f the human rights watchdog in Bengaluru and New Delhi in November 2019.

“Stopped from leaving India at Bangalore airport. Am on the exit control list. Got passport back through court order specifically for this trip to the US,” Patel tweeted.

He also shared a copy of his application for the passport to the court and t a g g e d t h e Prime Minister’s Office.

The Gujarat court’s ruling shared by Patel showed that t h e judge had ordered his passport to be returned and allowed him to travel to the US between March 1 and May 30.

“A CBI officer called to say I am on the Look-Out Circular because of the case the Modi government has filed against Amnesty International India,” he added.

In 2020, Patel was arrested and then let out on bail after a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA in Surat filed a complaint alleging that he had posted “offensive” tweets against the Ghanchi community in Gujarat.

His passport had to be surrendered as a condition for bail.

Patel on Wednesday, also tweeted a Surat District and Sessions Court order which on February 19 granted him permission to use his own passport from March 1 to May 30 and visit the US, subject to six conditions and the payment of Rs 2 lakh.