Nepali Citizen Barred from Boarding Flight in Delhi; MHA Clarifies Indian Authorities Not Involved

A Nepali national, Shambhavi Adhikari, who was en route to Berlin, Germany, was reportedly stopped at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and later sent back to Kathmandu.

However, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) clarified that Indian immigration authorities were not involved in the incident. According to the MHA, Shambhavi had arrived in Delhi on an Air India flight and was to board a Qatar Airways flight to Berlin, but the airline itself denied boarding citing visa validity concerns.

“The airline decided not to allow her to travel further and flew her back to Kathmandu,” the MHA said, adding that such decisions are made “in accordance with the destination country’s visa rules.”

The ministry further clarified that international transit passengers are not required to clear Indian immigration, and that the matter was between the airline and the passenger.

Following the incident, Shambhavi reportedly rescheduled her travel and took an alternate route to Germany.

Rejecting claims of bias, the MHA reiterated that India shares a strong and friendly relationship with Nepal, and emphasized that there was no discrimination involved in the matter.