India Did Not Disallow Nepali Citizen From Boarding Berlin Flight, Airline Stopped Her: MHA

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday clarified that the Indian immigration authorities have no role in stopping a Nepali citizen at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Refuting the claims

of bias/discrimination against Nepali citizens, the Ministry said she was stopped by the airlines due to her visa validity.

The statement comes after Shambhavi Adhikari, a Nepali citizen heading to Berlin, was stopped at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and sent back to Kathmandu.

“The incident has been wrongly portrayed as bias/discrimination against Nepali citizens. It is to clarify that the Indian immigration authorities have no role to play in this entire episode,” the statement reads.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) says, “It has been reported that Shambhavi Adhikari, a citizen of Nepal heading to Berlin was stopped at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and was sent back to Kathmandu. The incident has been wrongly portrayed as… pic.twitter.com/KtmErwi6Sf

— ANI (@ANI) November 1, 2025

Adhikari arrived from Kathmandu on an Air India flight and was transiting through Delhi. She was stopped while boarding the connecting Qatar Airways flight and it was the airline which decided not to let her undertake her onward travel to Germany considering her visa validity and flew her back to Kathmandu, the Ministry said.

Such matters are usually undertaken in accordance with the destination country’s rules/requirements.

After the incident, the passenger rescheduled her travel dates and later travelled (to Berlin) taking another route from Kathmandu.

The MHA said that international transit passengers are not required to approach Indian immigration authorities for their onward journey, as it is a matter between the airlines and the passenger with absolutely no role of the Indian immigration authorities.

“India values its strong relationship with Nepal and reassures that no Indian authority has any bias or discrimination against citizens of Nepal,” the MHA statement said.