China denies Visa to Indian Badminton Manager because he is “from Arunachal”
Manager of Indian Badminton contingent Bamang Tago has sought the intervention of the Indian Government after he was denied Visa for the ongoing China Super Series Premier badminton tournament at Fuzhou. The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi had denied him a visa “on the grounds of Arunachal domiciles”.
Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh Badminton Association Tago was originally meant to join the team from the first round but after he was denied Visa by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi, he has been stranded in New Delhi since November 10.
Tago also sought the intervention of Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday.
“I have been in Delhi since November 10 but I have not been granted the visa. I am the manager of the Indian team and they are already there playing in the first round...but I am stuck here,” Tago told PTI.
“When I checked with the Chinese Embassy about the status of my visa application, I was told by embassy officials that since I belong to Arunachal Pradesh, an approval from Beijing is required.”
“There has been no response from the Chinese Embassy since then. So today I met
Badminton Association of India (BAI) had submitted all required documents of members of the Indian contingent at the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi several weeks back for obtaining the travel documents. While the other 13 members of the squad had gotten their travel documents for the tour, Tago couldn’t make the trip along with the team.
Tago said, “My visa has been withheld on the ground of me being a domicile of Arunachal Pradesh --- which is total discrimination by China.
“It has been 54 years since the Chinese aggression of 1962 and 70 years of India’s Independence. The issue of Arunachal Pradesh remains unsettled because of the territorial dispute between India and China which has put the future of the Indigenous people of Arunachal in uncertainty.
Earlier, in 2011, a five-member karate team was prevented from boarding by Indian immigration officials at IGI airport New Delhi for possessing stapled visa issued by the Chinese Embassy on its way to Quanzhou to take part in the Asian Karate-do championship.
Similarly, in January 2012, a team of Arunachal weightlifters were prevented from boarding their flight for possessing stapled visas.
In the wake of the issue, Tago said that the people of Arunachal Pradesh would be deprived if China continues to do such things in the future.
“China has now become an important location for international sports events and will continue to host more in the future. In such a scenario, sportspersons from Arunachal Pradesh will be deprived in days to come for no fault of theirs.”
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