NDP MPP Jagmeet Singh says he has been refused a visa to enter India because of comments he’s made about that country’s human rights record.

Singh (Bramalea—Gore—Malton), a Sikh who has visited India many times, has never had a problem before he recently applied to go there on Dec. 24 to receive a humanitarian award.

While Singh says the Indian consulate in Toronto refused to officially say why he was rejected, he said Monday that he was told unofficially it was because he’s an “outspoken critic” of India’s treatment of minorities.

The Indian consulate in Toronto declined to talk about why Singh was denied the visa.

“The issue of grant or denial of visa is a sovereign right of any country. The Consulate does not discuss or explain the Government’s sovereign decision on specific visa applications,” an official said in an email statement.

Singh, who was born in Canada, acknowledged he has made comments publicly at meetings, in the legislature and in the media, where he was “very critical” of the treatment of Sikhs, Christians and Muslims in India.

The MPP explained he was asked in the summer if he could visit India to receive the SEWA Sikh of the Year Award for his humanitarian work. Instead, Singh, a 34-year-old lawyer, received his award in a video presentation.

He explained that SEWA is non-profit organization based in India that is committed to social justice initiatives such as ending drug abuse and promoting the equality of women by opposing both the dowry system and female feticide.

Singh said denying an elected official entry is unusual for India and may be a first.

“I got my passport back on Dec. 16 and the passport had no visa in it” even though it showed a visa had been applied for.”

“They (Indian consulate) confirmed, ‘You have not been given permission to travel to India’ ” and it was only after Singh requested a meeting with a consular official that he got a hint of why he was blocked.

“He said officially, ‘We are not giving you any reasons. We don’t have to give you a reason. I can tell you it was the home ministry that flagged this’ . . . but the suggestion was and what I believe is that it was because of my human rights work and being an outspoken critic of the track record of India,” Singh said.

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