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GUWAHATI: The Assam government has written to the Centre to blacklist the 10 nationals from Germany and Sweden, who were deported last week for violating rules by attending religious congregations on tourist visas, and also their organisations so that they do not get visas to India in future.
Assam’s Special DGP GP Singh said, “In all these cases, we have written to the Centre though our special branch to blacklist these people and their organisations from future issuance of visas.”
Singh said, “There are different activities people can indulge in even on missionary visas and one of among these is religious conversion. Activities related to religious conversion are explicitly banned for all types of visas, including missionary visas. So, this is something that is catching our attention.”
The special DG said all SPs have been directed that “anywhere, irrespective of religion, if there are religious preaching or congregations where there are foreign nationals in attendance, we have to keep a watch because as per rules, anyone who wants to come here for religious preaching has to take missionary visas. If they are coming on tourist visas and indulging in religious practices, then it is unlawful.”
Singh said after the recent deportation of the three Swedes from Dibrugarh and seven Germans from Golaghat for violation of visa rules, police have registered two cases, one each in the two districts. “We have two cases and the basic purpose of the investigation is to find what was the association of the Indian nationals in the whole episode and what was the actual purpose of the visit of these people. We have evidence of them (foreigners) participating in religious meetings but we want to find out whether their aim was only religious preaching or something else, including religious,” Singh added.
Assam ordered a crackdown on clandestine religious conversion activities in the state after rounding up and deporting 27 foreigners —17 Bangladeshis, three Swedish nationals and seven Germans — in less than six weeks after they were found to be preaching religion by flouting visa rules.



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