Explained: The Controversy Involving Australian Journalist Avani Dias

Australian journalist Avani Dias stirred up a storm when she claimed that she was asked to leave India because of her reporting, a charge that the Centre has called 'misleading'.

Who Is Avani Dias

Avani Dias is the South Asia bureau chief at Australia's ABC News and is based in New Delhi. Previously she was the host of the current affairs show Hack on the youth radio station Triple J.

Ms Dias has won and been nominated for various journalistic awards, including the Public Interest Award at the New South Wales Premier's Multicultural Communications Awards in 2019.

She published a video report on YouTube last month about India's alleged involvement in the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, a claim made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Nijjar, 45, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Canada's British Columbia in June. He was chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force and one of India's most wanted terrorists. India has termed the allegations "absurd" and "motivated".

What Is Her Claim?

The 32-year-old journalist claims that she faced problems extending her visa after a critical report about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. She claims she was asked to leave India abruptly and not allowed to cover the Lok Sabha elections.

Avani Dias said on social media platform X that she returned to Australia last week after being told by a government official that she wouldn't get an extension on her visa because of her reporting.

"Last week, I had to leave India abruptly. The Modi Government told me my visa extension would be denied, saying my reporting "crossed a line". After Australian Government intervention, I got a mere two-month extension ...less than 24 hours before my flight," she said in a post on X (formerly Twitter)

We were also told my election accreditation would not come through because of an Indian Ministry directive. We left on day one of voting in the national election in what Modi calls "the mother of democracy”.

Hear more on our podcast Looking for Modi: https://t.co/rn6wTkdI21

— Avani Dias (@AvaniDias) April 22, 2024

"We were also told my election accreditation would not come through because of an Indian Ministry directive," Ms Dias added.

India's Response

Sources within the Union government have called Ms Dias's claims "misleading and mischievous" insisting that the journalist had violated visa rules but was still given an assurance that her visa would be extended so she could cover the elections.

"The contention of Avani Dias, South Asia correspondent of Australian Broadcasting Corporation, that she was not allowed to cover elections and was compelled to leave the country is not correct, misleading and mischievous," the source said.

"Ms Dias was found to have violated visa rules while undertaking her professional pursuits. In spite of this, at her request, she was assured that her visa would be extended for the coverage of the general elections. Her previous visa was valid till 20th April 2024," the source added.

Moreover, the sources emphasised that her claims about not being permitted to cover elections are also factually incorrect, adding that covering election activities outside of booths is permitted to all visa-holder journalists.

Is Avani Dias Covering The Elections Now?

The ABC journalist has been given a two-month visa extension to cover the Lok Sabha polls after lobbying by the office of Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong and other diplomats, ABC News reported. The notification came 24 hours before Ms Dias was due to leave the country, she said.

But she chose to leave India.

Australian officials have said that Ms Dias chose to leave the country of her own will even though the Indian authorities had extended her visa.

Australia is pleased that the Indian government granted a visa for the journalist though by that time she had chosen to leave India," a source from the Australian High Commission told The Hindu.