India has slammed China for the “arbitrary detention” of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, saying Beijing’s actions violated international travel norms.
Responding to media queries, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi had “definitely” taken up the matter with Beijing.
“Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India and that is a self-evident fact. No amount of denial from the Chinese side will change this indisputable reality,” Jaiswal said.
He added that China had failed to explain why the woman, who had a valid passport and was in transit, was detained in violation of international aviation conventions and China’s own 24-hour visa-free transit rules.
18 hour ordeal at Shanghai airport
The detained passenger, Pema Wangjom Thongdok, a British Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh, was traveling from London to Japan on November 21 when her three-hour layover turned into an 18-hour layover.
‘Arunachal is not India’: Thongdok recounts
Speaking to ANI, Thongdok said Chinese immigration officials at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport declared her Indian passport “invalid”, mocked her nationality and detained her for nearly 18 hours, preventing her from boarding a connecting flight.
Prema Wangjom Thongdok, an Indian citizen living in the UK for 14 years, said she was singled out by Chinese immigration staff during transit on November 21 despite carrying a valid Indian passport and visa to Japan.
Describing the incident, Thongdok claimed that officials disputed her place of birth, insisting that she was “not Indian”.
“When I tried to ask them and ask what the problem was, they said, ‘Arunachal is not part of India’ and started mocking and laughing,” she said.
“They told me, ‘You should apply for a Chinese passport – you’re Chinese, you’re not Indian.’
She said an immigration official pulled her out of the queue without explanation and repeatedly told her her passport and visa were “inadmissible” because she was born in Arunachal Pradesh.
Humiliation and alleged racial taunting
Thongdok claimed that immigration officials as well as China Eastern Airlines staff laughed at her and pointed to her passport saying “Arunachal – China, not India”.
“It was very degrading and questionable behavior from both the immigration staff and the airline staff,” she said.
She added that she was confined in the transit area without clear information or proper facilities and was unable to contact her family for hours.
Thongdok said she had previously passed through Shanghai without any problems.
“I’ve passed through Shanghai in the past without any problems,” she noted.
After several hours of distress, she managed to contact the Indian diplomatic missions.
“I called the Indian embassies in Shanghai and Beijing and within an hour Indian officials came to the airport, got me some food and discussed the issues with them,” she said.
“A very long ordeal, 18 hours, but I’m glad to be out of there.”
Indian embassy officials intervened and facilitated her departure from the country.
Arunachal CM calls incident ‘appalling’
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu condemned the treatment of Thongdok, calling it “unacceptable and appalling”.
“To subject her, despite having a valid Indian passport, to such treatment is appalling,” Khandu said on X.
“Arunachal Pradesh is and will always be an integral part of India. Any other insinuation is baseless and insulting.”
Khandu said he was “deeply shocked” and described the behavior of Chinese officials as “humiliation and racial mockery”.
Contact PM Modi and Center
Thongdok wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials, calling the episode “a direct insult to Indian sovereignty and the people of Arunachal Pradesh”.
It called on the government to:
– demand responsibility from China
– request disciplinary proceedings against officials
-claim compensation for harassment
Congress in Arunachal also condemns the incident
The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) called the detention “shocking” and “unacceptable”.
APCC President Bosiram Siram said, “This incident is deeply disturbing and reflects a flagrant violation of human dignity. No Indian citizen should ever be subjected to such abusive and discriminatory behaviour.”
Reaffirming the state’s status, APCC said, “Every Arunachalee is a patriotic Indian. Arunachal Pradesh is our motherland and India is our motherland.”
The party urged the Center to take swift diplomatic action, ask Beijing for a formal explanation and ensure that similar incidents do not happen again.
Chinese claims to Arunachal
The confrontation comes against the backdrop of China’s long-standing claim to Arunachal Pradesh, which China calls “South Tibet”. India has consistently rejected these claims, maintaining that the state is an integral and inalienable part of the country.
Read also | China Denies Arunachal Woman Harassed at Shanghai Airport: Here’s What We Know
