'Called my Indian passport invalid': Arunachal woman alleges harassment at Chinese airport
Itanagar (PTI): A woman from Arunachal Pradesh, who lives in the UK, alleged that immigration officials at China's Shanghai airport detained her for nearly 18 hours after refusing to recognise her Indian passport during a transit halt, raising concerns over Beijing's repeated attempts to challenge India's territorial sovereignty.
Prema Wangjom Thongdok, who was travelling from London to Japan on November 21, claimed her three-hour scheduled layover turned into a traumatising ordeal after immigration personnel declared her passport "invalid" solely because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace.
Thongdok, whose family hails from Rupa in West Kameng district, claimed that Chinese officials insisted Arunachal Pradesh was "part of China" and demanded she accept their interpretation before allowing further processing.
In a detailed post on X on Sunday, she claimed, "I was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hours on 21st November 2025 by China immigration and China Eastern Airlines. They called my Indian passport invalid because my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh, which they claimed is Chinese territory."
@pemakhandu @kirenrijuju @PMOIndia I was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hrs on 21st Nov, 2025 on claims by China immigration & @chinaeasternair They called my Indian passport invalid as my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh which they claimed is Chinese territory. @cnnbrk
— Pem Wang Thongdok (@wang_pem) November 23, 2025
She claimed that she was confined to the transit area without clear explanations, access to proper food, or basic facilities.
She also claimed that her passport was confiscated, and she was prevented from boarding her connecting flight to Japan despite carrying a valid visa.
What should have been a routine transit, she said, turned into a distressing standoff with airport authorities.
She somehow managed to connect to the Indian consulate in Shanghai through a UK-based friend. Officials from the consulate helped her board a late-night flight from the Chinese city, it was learnt.
Prema has written to PM Narendra Modi and other senior officials, describing the incident as a "direct insult to India's sovereignty and the people of Arunachal Pradesh".
She has urged New Delhi to take up the matter strongly with Beijing, demand accountability, seek disciplinary action against those involved, and request appropriate compensation for the harassment she faced.
PTI could not reach Thongdok or her mother, Sang Chom Thongdok Pema Choeling, for a comment.
The incident comes in the backdrop of China's long-standing and frequently reiterated claim over Arunachal Pradesh, which it refers to as 'South Tibet'. India has consistently rejected these claims, asserting that the state is an integral and inalienable part of the country.
Beijing has often attempted to reinforce its stance through diplomatic and administrative provocations, drawing strong reactions from India.
Incidents such as renaming villages in Arunachal, issuing 'standard maps' claiming Indian territory, and objecting to Indian leaders' visits to the state have repeatedly strained bilateral relations.
This incident also echoes China's long-criticised practice of issuing stapled visas instead of stamped visas to residents of Arunachal Pradesh, an act India has denounced as an affront to its sovereignty.
Several athletes, students, and officials from the state have previously been denied entry into China after refusing stapled visas, prompting India to protest and even cancel bilateral exchanges on multiple occasions.
These recurring actions have often sparked public anger within the state and triggered diplomatic warnings from New Delhi, which maintains that China must respect the sensitivity of the border issue and refrain from such unilateral measures.
Thongdok's experience has reignited concerns that China may be extending its stapled-visa logic to international transit points, potentially targeting travellers from Arunachal Pradesh even when they are simply passing through Chinese airports, an official in Itanagar said.
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Bengal: On way to PM's rally, 3 mowed down by train amid dense fog
Kolkata (PTI): Three persons died and three others were injured after being hit by a train amid dense fog on Saturday, while travelling to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally at Taherpur in West Bengal's Nadia district, a senior official said.
The incident occurred between Taherpur and Badkulla railway stations under the Sealdah-Krishnanagar section of Eastern Railway, he said.
Modi, whose helicopter could not land at Taherpur due to dense fog and low visibility, condoled the death of the “BJP workers” in his virtual address from Kolkata airport.
“I have come to know that some BJP workers, while travelling to the rally, lost their lives in a rail accident. My condolences are with the families of those who have lost their loved ones, and I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Modi said.
The Eastern Railway official told PTI that the incident occurred in the morning when these people, who were travelling by a bus, had stopped the vehicle and walked to the railway tracks to answer nature's call.
"While three persons died on the spot, two others with injuries were admitted to a local hospital," he said.
Another person with minor injuries was released after having been administered first aid, the official said.
The deceased have been identified as Ramprasad Ghosh (74), Shaktipada Sutradhar (55) and Gopinath Das (38).
Meanwhile, Mahua Moitra, Trinamool Congress MP from Krishnanagar constituency in Nadia district, alleged that the BJP ignored the incident and went ahead with the rally.
"Terrible tragedy hushed up at altar of @narendramodi ego. @BJP4India supporters brought from far Murshidabad for PM rally in Ranaghat today," she said in a post on X.
"4 went to answer nature's call and were killed by 31814 down local train near Taherpur. BJP ignored, blacked out & went ahead with rally," Moitra claimed.
Reacting to her remarks, the West Bengal BJP, in a post on X, asserted that the TMC "has always been adept at milking tragedies", and was being "disrespectful to the unfortunate victims of this tragedy".
The TMC alleged that BJP leaders have not shown "neither concern nor compassion" over the mishap.
"The loss of three lives in Taherpur should have united everyone in grief. But @BJP4India leaders showed neither concern nor compassion," it said in another post on X.
"At this painful moment, Smt @MamataOfficial and Shri @abhishekaitc put humanity above party lines and stood beside the families of the deceased," the party said.
TMC’s on-ground leaders promptly reached out to the grieving family members, ensuring them of help and assistance, it said.
"While Delhi’s rulers chase Bengal with arrogance, our leadership chose empathy. This is the difference between politics of power and politics of people!" the TMC added.
