Vice journalist Angad Singh, who is based in the United States, was denied entry into India on Wednesday and allegedly deported to New York from Delhi airport. Singh’s family members told Indian Express that he was visiting India for a family reunion and was “sent back because of his work”.

Singh reportedly landed at Delhi airport at 8.30 pm and was deported three hours later.

The family member cited a documentary Singh had made on the Shaheen Bagh protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

“The government must be upset due to that documentary,” they told Indian Express. “His request for a visa as a journalist to make a documentary on Dalits in India was rejected recently. Now, he was coming for a family reunion and was on a personal visit. But he was sent back from the Delhi airport.”

Singh’s mother, Gurmeet Kaur, also posted about it on Facebook. She wrote: “Today, my son, an American citizen who travelled 18 hours to Delhi to visit us in Punjab, was deported...But we know it is his award-winning journalism that scares them. It is the stories he did and the stories he is capable of. It is the love for his motherland that they can’t stand.”

Singh’s close friend and colleague told Newslaundry, on condition of anonymity, that Singh had texted him, alleging that airport authorities had cited section 6 of the Foreigners Act while deporting him.

When asked whether Singh was deported for his past work, the friend said, “Absolutely! There is no other reason for him to be deported...He was on a private visit. He was not on a J visa,” referring to visas allotted to individuals approved to participate in work- and study-based exchange visitor programmes.

He also said Singh holds an Overseas Citizenship of India card, which allows foreign nationals of Indian origin to visit the country without a visa.

Newslaundry was unable to reach Singh for comment.