Indian Consulate in Seattle Calls Police on Kshama Sawant After Visa Denial Protest, Tries to Seize Phones

New Delhi- Seattle-based former city councillor Kshama Sawant has accused the Indian Consulate of using force and intimidation tactics against her and Workers Strike Back activists after she protested the rejection of her visa application.

Speaking to The Mooknayak, Sawant revealed that Consulate staff physically confronted her and her supporters, attempted to confiscate their phones, and even tried to trap them inside the Consulate building before calling the police.

Sawant, along with members of Workers Strike Back, on Saturday, staged a peaceful protest inside the Consulate office, demanding an explanation for why her visa had been rejected three times.

"They granted my husband the emergency entry visa. But rejected mine. The officer literally said that my name is on a "reject list. We were simply asking why my name is on the Modi government's 'reject list' and why I have been denied a visa to see my ill mother," Sawant told The Mooknayak.

Sawant said that rather than provide an answer, Consulate officials became hostile.

"Rather than give us an explanation, the Consulate repeatedly threatened to call the cops on us, tried to confiscate our phones, and even physically attempted to remove us," she said.

After three police cars arrived, Sawant and her supporters decided to leave. However, what followed, she says, was "blatant manhandling" by Consulate staff.

As Sawant and her team tried to exit peacefully, Consulate officials forcibly grabbed a Workers Strike Back member and tried to snatch her phone.

"The phone fell, and a Consulate staff member got into a scuffle, trying to seize it," Sawant recounted.

Simultaneously, another official physically confronted Sawant as she held the door open for her team to exit.

"He violently tried to push the stairwell door shut to block us from leaving—despite the fact that we were doing exactly what they had repeatedly asked us to do, which is leave. Instead, they literally tried to trap us in, clearly to try and get us arrested by the police," Sawant stated.

Sawant claims that even though police often act against working-class activists, the use of force by Consulate officials was so blatant that officers had to intervene.

"That was when the police officer said to the Consulate staff, 'Take your hands off them.' Of course, the police under capitalism are no friends of working people. But it was so obvious that we were being assaulted while peacefully leaving that even the police felt forced to say something," Sawant said.

"This is a Political Vendetta"

Sawant believes her visa rejection and mistreatment at the Consulate are part of the Modi government's political retaliation against her for opposing caste discrimination and Hindutva politics.

"The Modi government is targeting me because I have been vocal against their anti-Muslim, anti-Dalit, and anti-poor policies," she said.

She also linked this to her role in passing a 2020 Seattle City Council resolution condemning India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

"This is the third time my visa has been rejected. The Indian government is punishing me for standing against caste oppression and Hindutva fascism," she alleged.

The incident has sparked outrage among activists, with many calling it an attack on dissent and free speech. The online petition urging the Indian government to grant Sawant a visa continues to gain traction, with over 750 signatures and rising.

Prominent anti-caste and Bahujan activists have condemned the attack, calling it an unjustified suppression of Sawant's right to visit her ailing mother.

Sawant has vowed to continue fighting for justice and transparency, stating that she will not remain silent about the government’s attempts to silence her through visa denials and intimidation tactics.

"This fight is bigger than just my visa. It’s about standing against an authoritarian regime that punishes dissent. And I will not back down," she asserted.