NEW DELHI: In a U-turn, India on Monday cancelled the e-visa issued to Uyghur activist Dolkun Isa, apparently following protests by Beijing. Government sources later said the inter-faithethnic conference Dolkun was to attend on April 28 had been scrapped; it would now be a closed-door meeting between activists.Home ministry sources said the Red Corner Notice against Dolkun by China would have led to him being turned away from the airport.India had allowed Uyghur leaders to attend the conferen ce by the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala in a move seen as New Delhi's way of upping the ante against Beijing's block on a terrorist designation of Jaish-eMuhammed chief Masood Azhar. It was the first time India took such a stand. In 2009, when India-China ties were more fragile, India had denied a visa to Rebiya Kadeer, chief of the World Uyghur Congress. “India has lost face,“ China analyst Srikanth Kondapalli said. Echoing the sentiment, Jayadeva Ranade said, “India has egg on its face. It's counterproductive and sends the wrong signal...“ On social media, the government drew flak -#ModibowstoChina was a top trending theme on Monday . The decision to withdraw Uyghur activist Dolkun Isa's visa was taken by the home ministry , but without consulting the ministry of external affairs.Sources said the government was unwilling to draw equivalence between Pakistan and China on the issue of terrorism and to go down the path of embracing China's outlaws which would impact business and regular relations.NSA Ajit Doval met his counterpart Yang Jiechi in Beijing last week, where he said he discussed terrorism and Masood Azhar with the Chinese leadership. It's not clear whether the decision to withdraw the visa to Uyghur activists was taken as a result of his talks there.Dolkun and other activists had received tourist e-visas. E-visas don't go through strin gent checks and are de nied only if the name is on a black list. MHA sources said Isa's visa was given because he was not on any black list. But the Red Corner Notice against him would have shown up at the immigration counter in Delhi and he would have had to return from the airport.