'Be proud of yourself': Social media reacts to Helle Lyng's video message after journalist 'denied entry to India'

Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng sent a video message to Home Minister Amit Shah on November 12. She said the Indian embassy in Norway called shortly before she was to leave for India. According to Lyng, the call came 10 minutes before her scheduled flight to the airport. She packed her bags for what would be her first visit to India.

Lyng said she has a visa in her passport and has obtained political clearances. Still, the embassy told her that she would be denied entry to India. She said the decision apparently came from the Home Office. Lyng asked HM Shah why she could not enter the country despite having a visa.

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She was scheduled to address a conference in Hyderabad, Telangana. Her lecture was to cover the links between the media, freedom of the press and democracy. Lyng said she still had 48 hours to speak. She believed that the next flight could get her to Hyderabad on time.

Lyng said the decision was politically motivated. She wondered if it was related to her attempt to interview Narendra Modi in Oslo. She also pointed out her criticism of Prime Minister Modi and his government. She said she expressed these views in her Norwegian newspaper and on the Internet.

The journalist also asked whether her critics Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani played a role.

“I also wonder if the criticism of Adani and Ambani, two alleged close friends of Narendra Modi, both very rich, powerful billionaires from India and Asia, have anything to do with it,” she said.

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In her message, she listed two other options. One of them was her favorable coverage of the Šváb Janta Party movement. The second was her interview with Abhijit Deepek about a month ago. She gave no confirmed reason for her decision.

In May 2026, Prime Minister Modi and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store issued a joint statement. They did not ask any questions after their statements. As PM Modi was leaving, Lyng called and asked why he wouldn’t ask.

Later that day, Lyng questioned senior Indian diplomat Sibi George at a briefing at the embassy. She asked about alleged human rights violations in India. George denied the allegations and defended India’s constitutional democracy.

The stock exchange in Oslo provoked sharply different reactions. Critics called her approach disrespectful, while press freedom advocates and opposition leaders praised her interrogation.

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In her video message, Lyng reminded Shah that people in India were waiting for her in Hyderabad. She also said that people from the international community were waiting for her. She said the trip is still possible if she can leave soon.

With time left to travel, she asked if she would be allowed to enter. She called India the world’s largest democracy and urged Shah to allow the visit.

“Can we arrange this? I think we should,” she concluded.

Reaction on social networks

Social networks reacted to the Norwegian journalist’s video message.

“Hello, you did nothing wrong. Be proud of yourself,” wrote one user.

“You definitely won’t get that visa…they’re not listening! Please do a video conference…sorry you had to go through all this trouble…” another user commented.

One user wrote: “If you’re guessing, the reason you’re being blocked is ‘all of the above’; and some others…”

“Don’t stop dear!! Don’t back down. Try to report from there. Try to emphasize the truth. We need you!!” came from another.