Karl Rock, a YouTuber from New Zealand, claims that he is blacklisted by the Indian government without reason. According to the Union minister of home affairs, he has also been banned for a year for visa violations.
His entry to India is completely banned. His wife, an Indian national who lives in Delhi, has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court.
Karl gives travel tips for tourists visiting India. The vlogger had alleged that after he left India to travel to Dubai and Pakistan the government blacklisted him without giving him a reason. This has separated him from his whole family in New Delhi.
The Union home ministry has blacklisted Karl Rock for violating visa rules. According to officials aware of the matter, the vlogger was found doing business on a tourist visa.
He explains in a video how he had been separated from his wife Youtube video named ‘Why I haven’t seen my wife in 269 days on Friday. Karl had strictly followed the laws of the country and the terms of his visa, and there had been no complaints against him.
After his marriage, he was issued an X-2 visa, which was valid until 2024. It was intended for spouses and children of Indian nationals. One of the visa’s conditions was that he exit India every 180 days or notify the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
His last visit to India was in November 2019. He had joined Mussoorie’s Landour School of Languages to study Hindi but was stuck due to the countrywide lockdown. He tried to notify the FRRO for visa extension as the 180-day deadline approached.
The request was rejected, and he was issued exit permission.
His visa was cancelled at the Delhi Airport when he was leaving India in October 2020 to fly to Dubai and Pakistan. He applied for a new visa in Dubai and was then called to the Indian High Commission, where he was informed that he had been put on a blacklist.
Many people on social media assume that he is blacklisted because he documented an anti-CAA protest. This video was later deleted from the internet.
“My wife and I went and filmed our experience,” Karl said.”
However, we have no way of knowing whether this is the reason for the blacklisting. We’ve filed a writ petition to get to the root of it.”
