New Delhi: French journalist Vanessa Dougnac, who had been the longest serving foreign correspondent in India, announced her departure from India on Friday, February 16, after the Indian government issued a two-week revocation of her Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card last month, for alleged concerns over her reporting.The notice sent by the Ministry of Home Affairs was also raised by French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit in January for India’s Republic Day celebrations.In a statement, Vanessa Dougnac said that she was writing her announcement “in tears”.“Today, I am leaving India, the country where I came 25 years ago as a student, and where I have worked for 23 years as a journalist. The place where I married, raised my son, and which I call my home,” she stated.The South Asia Correspondent for four French publications, Dougnac, has been informed by the Ministry of Home Affairs that her Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card will be revoked within two weeks. The notification listed various grounds for the revocation, ranging from “malicious” reporting that created a “negative perception” of India, inciting disorder, not taking permission for travelling to restricted areas and doing reporting on neighbouring countries.After the notice was reported in the media, she issued a statement refuting all accusations and asserting her full cooperation with the legal proceedings.Around 30 foreign correspondents stationed in India jointly penned an open letter expressing solidarity with Dougnac and urging the Indian authorities to resolve her case promptly, ensuring it does not adversely affect her career or family life.In her most recent statement released on Thursday, she said that was “being forced to leave by the Government of India”.Referring to the rejection of her application to work as a journalist while living in India with OCI card in 2022, she stated, “Sixteen months ago, the Ministry of Home Affairs denied my right to work as a journalist, providing no reasons nor justifications, and no hearing. Since then, the Ministry has not once responded to my repeated requests for explanations or review of this arbitrary action”.On her notice from MHA last month, Dougnac said that the Indian government accused her articles of “being ‘malicious’, of harming ‘the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India’ and required me to respond to why my Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card should not be cancelled”. It had also claimed that Dougnac’s articles could “provoke disorder and disturb peace”.She said that while she would continue to challenge the accusations legally, the process had taken a toll and impacted her professionally, compelling her to leave.“Today, I am unable to work and have been unfairly accused of prejudicing the interests of the state. It has become clear that I cannot keep living in India and earning my livelihood. I am fighting these accusations before the competent forums and I have full faith in the legal process. But I can’t afford to wait for its outcome. The proceedings with respect to my OCI status have shattered me, especially now that I see them as part of a wider effort by the Government of India to curb dissent from the OCI community,” she stated.The French journalist claimed that authorities had earlier suggested that she should stop reporting, but “I cannot agree to give it up because of unproven accusations”.“I am immensely grateful for the extraordinary 23 years I spent as a journalist in India. I led a life filled with adventures and interactions across the subcontinent, and had the opportunity to witness over two decades of India’s history. Being a foreign correspondent in India seeking to share with my French-speaking readers the complexity and richness of this country, was a privilege and an honour. I will cherish the memories I have of the warmth of the people and the beauty of this immense region. Delhi was my beloved city, where I lived my life. To bid farewell to it now is a tremendous sorrow,” she wrote.Stating she hoped to return to India “one day”, the French journalist thanked “individuals, friends, and colleagues from the journalist fraternity who reached out to me to show their support”.When the Indian foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra acknowledged that France had raised Dougnac’s case, he claimed that the actions against her had nothing to do with her reporting. “People are free to do what they are accredited to do in a given space. But here I think the principal issue is whether the person is compliant with the rules and regulations of the state under which they come,” he said at a media briefing on January 26.Kwatra claimed that France had “appreciated” India’s “frame of reference” to look at the case purely through a lens of compliance with rules.The Wire has asked for a comment from the French Embassy about Dougnac’s departure, but there has been no response till now.Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders has expressed with Dougnac. “Forcing a seasoned professional journalist to leave India after she had been based there for two decades reveals a very dark and deplorable image of what press freedom has become under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With two months to go to the general elections, the vice is tightening on foreign correspondents who try to cover India in a professional manner. We condemn the unacceptable way Vanessa Dougnac has been treated and the use of absurd accusations as a subterfuge to gag and intimidate outspoken reporters. The Indian authorities must guarantee journalists’ safety and freedom to work,” said Anne Bocandé, RSF editorial director, in a statement.
