New Delhi: A YouTuber from New Zealand said that the Indian home ministry has denied his entry into the country without any specified reason, thereby separating him from his wife for over eight months.
The YouTuber, Karl Edward Rice (or Karl Rock) said that the union home ministry had allegedly blacklisted him. In a tweet, Karl Edward Rice appealed to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern against the Indian government’s decision. He has also started an online petition to garner support.
Sources confirmed on Saturday morning that Karl Rock was blacklisted for one year for violating the terms and conditions of his tourist visa, ANI said in a report. His visa has also been canceled.
On his channel on YouTube ‘Karl Rock’, Rock has 1.79 million, subscribers. In a video, he detailed how his visa was canceled and he was blacklisted from entering India.
Several times in the video Rock calls India ‘home’ and how he stays separated from his wife Manisha Malik and his family. Rock, who is now in New Zealand, claims he sent “multiple emails” to the home ministry, and that Malik had even gone to the ministry to find a solution, but to no avail.
He had also written to the Indian high commissioner in Wellington, New Zealand, and even visited the High Commission, but received no response, Rock said in the video.
“It is very difficult for me to be away from my family,” he said in the video. Rice also called the Indian government “very very tough” and said the decision to restrict his entry was wrong.
However, union home ministry officials have denied the charges, saying that he was barred for violating visa conditions. He was found to be doing business activities on a tourist visa, unidentified officials told PTI.
“He did not submit his income tax returns and had also attempted entry into restricted areas. All this is not allowed while on a tourist visa,” a source from the union home ministry was quoted as saying to The Print.
Many on social media have speculated that the reason for the blacklisting was because he had visited an anti-CAA protest site and documented it. This video was later deleted.
“My wife and I went and filmed our experience. But whether that is the reason for the blacklisting or not, we do not know. We’ve filed the writ petition to find out the reasons,” Rock told Indian Express.
One of his videos titled “Do Indians eat beef? Guide to eating beef in India”, was seen as a major concern, mentioned another report.