Filippo Osella, an academic who has researched extensively on Kerala since the late 1980s, was reportedly deported from Thiruvananthapuram airport without any official explanation
Filippo Osella’s research involved the Dalit communities in rural Kerala and the transformation of south Indian Muslim communities. Image courtesy: Filippo Osella/Facebook
Filippo Osella, a renowned anthropologist and sociologist from the United Kingdom, was denied entry and deported to his country after he landed at Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Thursday. Who is Osella? Why was he visiting Kerala and why was he deported?
The 65-year-old has researched Kerala society for over 30 years and is considered a specialist on the state. He has studied how the state has transformed both culturally and socially.
Osella is a professor of anthropology and South Asian studies at the University of Sussex in England. He was reportedly in Thiruvananthapuram to attend a research conference. He was to be the keynote speaker at the conference on “emerging themes connected to the livelihood and lifeworld of Kerala’s coastal communities”, scheduled for Friday. It was organised by Cochin University of Science and Technology; Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram; University of Kerala; and the University of Sussex.
Forced to fly back
According to Osella, he was not given any reason on why immigration authorities were not allowing him entry into the country. “I was taken to the immigration desk, and processed as it is normally done,” he told The Indian Express. “But after they scanned my passport, took my photo and fingerprints, they told me that I was not allowed to enter India, and that I would be deported immediately.”
He reportedly lodged a protest but was forced to board a return flight.
Osella believes that the decision to deport him was taken before his arrival because his flight back to the UK via Dubai was already book by the airline Emirates. He added that the immigration supervisor was “extremely unfriendly and impolite”.
Pakistan visa, reason for trouble?
The professor said that his research visa expires in mid-April and he was to return much before that. “Yes, I have a couple of old visas to Pakistan in my passport because I am a South Asia specialist. These visas have never stopped me (from) being granted entry into Kerala or India,” he told The Indian Express.
The immigration authorities have not revealed the reason from the deportation. However, a report in The Times of India says that Osella was denied entry because his replies to queries by immigration officials during his last trip to Kerala regarding his Pakistan visa were not convincing. “… the practice is to send by people who refuse to give a satisfactory explanation on questions regarding their connections to Pakistan,” an officer told the newspaper.
Osella’s work
While conducting research on Kerala, Osella studied about the Muslim community in the state. “These were works that he did at least a decade ago and he always stayed away from political Islam and related controversial topics,” an academic told The Indian Express.
Among his works is an exploration of the emergence of various strands of Islamic reforms in Kerala, and the relationship between religious practice, politics and economic action, reports the paper.
Osella started researching in Kerala in the late 1980s. His work steers away from political controversies; instead his focus has always been on common people, their relationships, and reforms in the society. His doctoral research spoke about the Dalit communities in rural Kerala. He also studied the transformation of south Indian Muslim communities and has written various books based on studies in south India, Sri Lanka and South Asian countries, reports The News Minute.
With inputs from agencies
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.