Helle Lyng Svendsen: All about Norwegian journalist who questioned PM Narendra Modi in Oslo
NEW DELHI: Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng Svendsen , who came into the spotlight in India in May after questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi on why he did not take questions from journalists, is back in focus after alleging that her Indian visa was cancelled just minutes before she was due to leave for the airport to attend the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad.
Svendsen, a former US correspondent, now works for Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen.
She had been invited as a panelist and speaker at the Congress-organised summit to participate in a discussion on the future of media and press freedom .
In a video posted on X on Wednesday, she said she had secured an Indian visa and political clearance, but received a call from the Indian Embassy in Oslo around 10 minutes before she was due to leave for the airport.
She alleged that she was told she could not travel to India following directions from the Union ministry of home affairs.
“I got a visa to India and was supposed to leave this morning to attend the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad. I had been invited as a panelist and speaker on the future of media and press freedom. But orders from above in the ministry of home affairs have cancelled my visa,” she said in her post.
The reasons for the reported cancellation have not been officially communicated to her, according to her account.
Bharat Summit organiser Pushparaj Deshpande also reacted to the development on X, saying it was “deeply unfortunate” that Svendsen would be unable to attend. He added, “This is what the ‘mother of democracy’ looks like in PM Modi-HM Shah Raj.”
The question to Modi that brought her into focusSvendsen came into the spotlight in India in May during Modi's visit to Norway for bilateral talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
After the two leaders made their statements at a joint media interaction in Oslo, Svendsen attempted to ask Modi why he did not take questions from journalists. The leaders had already been announced as not taking questions, and Modi left without responding.
The incident drew attention to the issue of press freedom in India, with Svendsen later raising questions about the country's human rights record at a media briefing by the ministry of external affairs.
She asked MEA secretary (west) Sibi George why India should be trusted given allegations of human rights violations.
George rejected the allegations, citing the constitutional guarantees of justice, liberty, equality and freedom of expression.
He also said India was a democratic society and had been so for centuries. Responding to questions from Dutch journalists earlier during Modi's Europe visit, George had similarly rejected allegations of a decline in freedom of expression.
The Indian Embassy in Norway subsequently responded to Svendsen's post about her unsuccessful attempt to question Modi, saying she was welcome to attend a press briefing organised by the mission and ask her questions there.
(With agency inputs)
Svendsen, a former US correspondent, now works for Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen.
She had been invited as a panelist and speaker at the Congress-organised summit to participate in a discussion on the future of media and press freedom .
In a video posted on X on Wednesday, she said she had secured an Indian visa and political clearance, but received a call from the Indian Embassy in Oslo around 10 minutes before she was due to leave for the airport.
She alleged that she was told she could not travel to India following directions from the Union ministry of home affairs.
“I got a visa to India and was supposed to leave this morning to attend the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad. I had been invited as a panelist and speaker on the future of media and press freedom. But orders from above in the ministry of home affairs have cancelled my visa,” she said in her post.
The reasons for the reported cancellation have not been officially communicated to her, according to her account.
Bharat Summit organiser Pushparaj Deshpande also reacted to the development on X, saying it was “deeply unfortunate” that Svendsen would be unable to attend. He added, “This is what the ‘mother of democracy’ looks like in PM Modi-HM Shah Raj.”
The question to Modi that brought her into focusSvendsen came into the spotlight in India in May during Modi's visit to Norway for bilateral talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
After the two leaders made their statements at a joint media interaction in Oslo, Svendsen attempted to ask Modi why he did not take questions from journalists. The leaders had already been announced as not taking questions, and Modi left without responding.
The incident drew attention to the issue of press freedom in India, with Svendsen later raising questions about the country's human rights record at a media briefing by the ministry of external affairs.
She asked MEA secretary (west) Sibi George why India should be trusted given allegations of human rights violations.
George rejected the allegations, citing the constitutional guarantees of justice, liberty, equality and freedom of expression.
He also said India was a democratic society and had been so for centuries. Responding to questions from Dutch journalists earlier during Modi's Europe visit, George had similarly rejected allegations of a decline in freedom of expression.
The Indian Embassy in Norway subsequently responded to Svendsen's post about her unsuccessful attempt to question Modi, saying she was welcome to attend a press briefing organised by the mission and ask her questions there.
(With agency inputs)
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