Norwegian tourist under scanner for protesting over citizenship law: sources

Kochi: A Norwegian national, in Kochi on a tourist visa, has come under the scanner of Bureau of Immigration authorities over her suspected participation in an anti-CAA protest in the city three days ago, an official said on Thursday.

The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), under the Union Home Ministry, is investigating the matter after it came to know through the social media that the Norwegian woman allegedly participated in the protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on December 23, the official said.

The action comes close on the heels of a German student who took part in anti-CAA protests in Chennai was directed to leave the country since his participation in demonstrations over domestic issues allegedly violated visa regulations.

"We are investigating whether the foreigner has violated Visa norms or not,” Foreigners Regional Registration Officer Anoop Krishnan told PTI when asked about reports that JanneMette Johansson was summoned to the FRRO office for questioning.

"We can't say a concrete action is taken into it. An inquiry is on," he said.

He said the agency came to know about the participation of the foreign national in the protest from the social media platform.

The Norwegian woman is visiting Kochi on a tourist visa.

Johansson had reportedly said in a Facebook post that she had participatedin the "Peoples Long March" against the CAA.

In the Chennai incident, student Jakob Lindenthal, who was on an exchange programme and attached to the Physics Department of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, had taken part in the institute campus and held a placard that had an indirect reference to the Nazi persecution of the Jews in Germany between 1933-45 during the Hitler regime.

He had left the country last week.

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