Francesca Orsini, noted historian and professor emerita at SOAS, University of London, was reportedly denied entry into India on Monday evening despite having a valid tourist visa, her colleagues and publisher said on Tuesday.
Orsini, a leading scholar of Hindi and Urdu literature, had arrived at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport from China via Hong Kong. She was unavailable for comment as her phone remained switched off. However, she confirmed to a web news portal from the airport that she was denied entry despite holding a valid visa. Orsini had last visited India in October 2024.
The Centre is yet to issue a statement on the development so far.
People familiar with the matter said Francesca Orsini was on a tourist visa but was violating visa conditions. “She had been placed on a blacklist since March 2025 for violation of visa conditions. This is a standard global practice that if a person is found violating visa conditions he/she can be black-listed.”
The purpose of her visit is, however, still unclear.
{{/usCountry}}The purpose of her visit is, however, still unclear.
{{/usCountry}}Independent publishing house Permanent Black, which has published Orsini’s work, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “Francesca Orsini’s scholarship has greatly enriched Hindi literary studies and the history of the book in India. She is a renowned scholar, published worldwide in English and in Hindi. She has just been denied entry into India, with no reason given.”
Permanent Black had published Print and Publishing in Colonial India (2009), Orsini’s book exploring the impact of Hindi and Urdu print cultures after the First War of Independence.
According to the website of the School of Oriental and African Studies(SOAS), London University, Orsini is a literary historian specialising in Hindi and Urdu.
She studied Hindi at Venice University, followed by Central Institute of Hindi in New Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University before joining SOAS, University of London.