The Controversy Surrounding Australian Journalist Avani Dias Explained

Avani Dias, the former host of the current affairs show Hack on Triple J, a youth radio station, has received recognition and nominations for multiple journalistic awards, including the Public Interest Award at the New South Wales Premier’s Multicultural Communications Awards in 2019. Last month, she posted a video report on YouTube regarding India’s alleged involvement in the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, a claim made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Nijjar, who was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Canada’s British Columbia in June, was the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force and one of India’s most wanted terrorists.

India has rejected these allegations as “absurd” and “motivated.” Dias claims that she was asked to leave India abruptly and was not allowed to cover the Lok Sabha elections. She stated on a social media platform that she had returned to Australia after being informed by a government official that her visa extension would be denied due to her reporting.

Additionally, she expressed that she was not granted election accreditation due to an Indian Ministry directive. In response to Dias’s claims, Indian sources stated that she had violated visa rules during her professional pursuits. Despite this, she was offered an extension for the coverage of the general elections upon her request, as her previous visa was valid until 20th April 2024.

The sources dismissed Dias’s assertions about not being permitted to cover elections, emphasizing that all visa-holder journalists are allowed to cover election activities outside of booths. The notification regarding her visa extension came 24 hours before her departure, according to Dias. Australian officials contradicted Dias’s account, stating that despite being granted a visa extension by the Indian authorities, she opted to leave the country of her own volition.

They expressed appreciation for the Indian government’s decision to grant Dias a visa, although she had already chosen to leave India.