‘National shame’ or ‘New India’? Francesca Orsini’s deportation sparks debate on academic freedom, culture

The deportation of UK-based Hindi professor Francesca Orsini has left academics and editors in splits as they discuss whether visa violation is the actual reason behind the action. The scholar was reportedly denied entry as she arrived from Hong Kong to Delhi, for flouting tourist visa norms. While some praised the Narendra Modi government, others raised eyebrows on academic freedom in the country after the the episode.

A professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, Orsini was sent back from Delhi. Some officials told PTI that she was blacklisted for being involved in “research” including informal conversations with Hindi writers, attending cultural events, participation in literary discussions, amounting to violation of visa rules. The Ministry of Home Affairs is yet to make an official statement.

Historian Ramachandra Guha termed the move “the mark of a government that is insecure, paranoid, and even stupid” adding that her works illuminated the understanding of cultural heritage.

On the other hand, editor and journalist Abhijit Majumder finds it right, alleging that the SOAS London professor is “virulently anti-India” and played a role in protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). “Deep state agents infiltrate Indic/Sanskrit/Hindi studies only to undermine Bharat,” he said in a post on X.

Visa violation or control: Academics divided

Author and journalist Kunal Purohit described the incident “a national shame”, saying that the author has done more for Hindi language than the “petty-minded establishment” that sees her as a threat. “For HPop, I relied on her scholarship for the study of nationalist poetry. This is a national shame,” he posted.

Pointing out to the irony of the Modi government’s decision, TV anchor Rajdeep Sardesai said that it claims to promote Hindi on one hand and deports an academic who researched the language throughout her life on another.

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South Asian history professor Audrey Truschke took to X and said, “Academics matter. And Hindu nationalism is no match for us. Hindu nationalists know their weakness. That's why they fight to keep professors out and crush those within their borders; it's their only tool to suppress critical inquiry and knowledge.”

Writer and commentator Ameer Shahul observed that the case raises deeper concerns about India’s treatment of those who study its languages and culture. “Whether one agrees with Orsini’s ideas or not, punishing her for simply interacting with India’s linguistic and cultural life sends a chilling message. It reveals a system more interested in control than understanding, more concerned with suspicion than the exchange of ideas. If this is how my country treats allies of its culture, one can only imagine how it treats its critics,” he wrote.

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Meanwhile, some social media users questioned her intentions and alleged that her “divisive agenda” framed Hindi’s history as a communal power play, setting up a distorted narrative. One claimed that she is a cultural marxist who says Hindi is an oppressive language and wants to disintegrate India.

For others, Orsini’s ban in the country speaks more about insecurity than strength as she has done more for Hindi than many so-called lovers of Hindi. “To not allow entry to a true lover of languages and literatures of this region, someone who has always told its stories with care, is deeply concerning and heartbreaking,” an associate professor said while another academic remarked, “when a nation starts fearing thinkers, it stops growing.”