I believe rules are rules. India doesn't allow transit visa and so you always need to have a proper document. As for the Frenchman getting a 2-day transit visa, maybe due to different reasons, and maybe valid based on his history of Indian visas. There is no credibility of reason that the French got his visa because of his color/race. Indian rules are strict, I remember my brother's "white" friend being hauled up in Assam because he had no proper document for entering the state. He had to leave the state within 24 hours. Sikkim has strict rules for foreigners but fairly easy for Indian tourists.
I am fairly conservative in checking back my documents again and again while travelling between US and India. Rules in both the countries are strict. They are not Singapore or Thailand that you expect transit visa on arrival.
Anecdote. Do the NRI kids pay the foreigner's fee when they visit Taj Mahal, Qutb Minar ? Never.
It was unfortunately a very big oversight on the part of the parents to not secure visas for their kids. Question is what papers were being faxed from Boston?
Does India grant Visas on arrival?
If not, the kids would be in a spot anyway as transit Visas (even if they had been granted) are not valid for the length of time that they would be staying in the country.
If yes, then the immigrations officers' actions need to be questioned
In any case this is a lesson to all of us to take Indian Immigration seriously. We go to all lenghts to make sure there are no problems on arrival in the US. Why should our own country's laws be taken lightly then?
The lack of common sense exhibited by Immigration officials in Mumbai is apalling. Had they waited just 10 minutes longer, they would have had the papers from Boston.
If the Immigration officials were even-handed for both Indians and whites, I will have no issue with them. But the slavish Indian bureaucrats showed flexibility to a white skin.
The callousness of Indian bureaucrats to their own race of people reveals that some of them are not human, but humanoid robots, rigid and straight jacketed, scum of the Earth, slavish ba----ds, with sick minds, and with a garbage mentality - I could go on and on.
To NRIs, I admonish them to take out a US/Canadian/British/Australian or whatever Western country passport they could obtain. Nothing has changed in India, and it will never change. The externalities (like infrastructure) may change, but the minds of most of the inhabitants of India will be primitive for ever.
There is no hope for the wretched nation of India. Tourists beware - there are lots of other nations to visit than the trash bin that is called India.
I am sorry about what happened to you. Please take a moment to think whether you are one of the lucky few to meet a sincere Indian (supposedly with an attitude problem). Only you can shed light on that fact. We hear the dreaded stories all the time from people coming back from India (myself included)...Maybe yours has a silver lining after all. Talk to any swamiji and he would tell you what I am telling you...turn this experience into a lesson. Maybe later, when you are not agitated, you can write again to describe the same event.
I feel for the suffering of this family. But this family has been in US for 11 yrs. Do they think that if they forget their visas to the US, they will be given entry to that country? People with valid visas to the US are constantly harrased that their point of entries. I dont understand why NRIs keep degrading India. (I'm a NRI myself and see people doing this all the time). If they are ashamed of India so much dont go there. Before that try going to the US without yr visa.
I am really puzzled to see the word \\\"bribe\\\" did not appear in your incident. I believe there is more to this story. I am sure harsh talk, bribe are also part of incident.
Forgetting visa is Mr. Vijay\\\'s mistake and was given proper treatment else we wud say we can get into India without visa or anything is possible in India. It is unfortunate that author is using \\\"French\\\" national as an example but if you have done a mistake, accept it and move on. Do not instill racial thoughts in your children.
Firstly i fully agree That indian mentality is like that Vijay should have bribed immigration officials and then reported to the Media in India Please note you ahould be prepared and expert to bribe if you want to spend even a minute in India Thanks to Indiaian Politicians and GR8 Sonia Gandhi, because they post their favourite officials to collect bribe Vijay should fax details to AAJ TAK TV office and other indian Media companies and follow it up with a lawyer and on TV , Lawyers need their popularity in india by involving such cases
1) I am glad that Indian Immigration took a strong stance of not letting visitor's enter the country without the VISA, which is absolutely fair and is definitely the visitor family's mistake.
2) But, the stance was a little bit too harsh and they should have waited for the FAX papers keeping the innocent kids in mind.
3) The discrimination between the French person and Indian person is certainly not acceptable and if it is true, the officials should be punished for the same.
Forget the Mumbai Immigration office.Do you think any country will allow the kids without a valid Passport?This is a lesson to those who underestimate India.Sice the parants are green card holders,they know much about US Immigration officials.We cant blame the Indian Officials,because they have to take strict actions for the fear of anti-social activities.
