Indian-origin anti-caste activist Kshama Sawant has alleged that the Indian government denied her a visa to visit her ailing 82-year-old mother in Bengaluru. Sawant, a former Seattle City Councillor known for her criticism of Hindutva politics and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), described the visa denial as “political retaliation by the Bharatiya Janata Party government”.
Sawant has reportedly been denied an Indian visa three times without explanation, despite appeals to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. In response, she has initiated an online petition urging the Modi government to “adopt a humane policy and urgently grant a visa for Kshama Sawant and her husband Calvin Priest to be able to travel to India to visit Kshama’s mother”.
In February 2023, Sawant led a successful campaign as a Seattle City Councillor to have the city recognise and ban caste-based discrimination, despite fierce opposition. This landmark legislation set a precedent followed by other US jurisdictions and regions in Australia, including Melbourne, Monash, and the state of Queensland. The Australian Human Rights Commission’s Anti-Racism Framework, released in 2024, recommended that “the Australian Government investigate options for legal protections against caste discrimination, including potential reform of existing legislation”.
Sawant’s supporters view the visa denial as part of a broader pattern of the Indian government restricting entry to activists and journalists critical of its policies. They are calling for immediate action to allow her to visit her mother during this critical time.
