Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
US and Canada have banned the entry of Amit Shah, Ajit Doval and Gautam Adani.
Fact
Viral claim is false.
Several social media users are sharing a news item, purportedly from ‘Indian Herald’ and published on the news aggregator site Dailyhunt, claiming that the US and Canada have banned the entry of India’s home minister Amit Shah, national security advisor Ajit Doval and industrialist Gautam Adani over alleged “financial improprieties, human rights violations and espionage concerns.”
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
Fact Check
Newschecker ran a keyword search for “US Canada ban Amit Shah Modi Doval”, which did not lead us to any credible news reports about such a ban. While we did come across several news reports on the recent bribery and fraud charges against Adani in the US, however, none of them have stated that the businessman has been denied entry into the country.
The charges reportedly stem from accusations of securities fraud, wire fraud, and breaches of SEC regulations, which involve claims of materially false and misleading statements in Adani Green Energy Ltd’s bond offering documents, particularly concerning the company’s anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies.
Similarly, we learnt that Canada has accused Amit Shah of approving and directing hit attempts targeting Canadian citizens. The Canadian government had reportedly publicly alleged that Shah was behind a recent series of plots to murder and intimidate Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. Testifying before a parliamentary committee, the Canadian deputy foreign affairs minister, David Morrison, acknowledged he had leaked information to the Washington Post about Shah’s alleged role in a campaign of violence and threats against the Sikh diaspora over the last few years. However, none of these reports stated that Canada has banned Shah’s entry into the country. Meanwhile, India dismissed these allegations as baseless, even as the US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the allegations were “concerning.”
We also found several reports related to the US court summons issued to Doval, stemming from a lawsuit filed by US-based Sikh lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an advocate of Khalistan and a US citizen, alleging a plot to murder him. The summons by the US District Court for Southern District of New York reportedly named the Government of India, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, former R&AW chief Samant Goel, R&AW agent Vikram Yadav, and Indian businessman Nikhil Gupta. Similarly, none of the reports stated that the US has banned Doval’s entry into the country.
Newschecker next went through the press conferences held by the spokesperson for the United States Department of State, Matthew Miller, in October and November and found that he had talked about issues related to India on October 2, October 15, October 16, October 29, October 30, November 18 and November 25.Miller spoke about the Canada-India diplomatic dispute and the involvement of an Indian man in the attempted murder of an American citizen on October 2 and October 15, where he said that they were meeting with Indian officials on this issue.
On October 16 and October 29, Miller had answered the questions of journalists regarding the alleged conspiracy to kill Pannu, where he said that they had received updates from India in this matter. Apart from this, he also ignored a question from a journalist on whether the US has expelled any Indian diplomat like Canada had.
On October 30, Miller reacted to Canada naming Amit Shah in connection to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Miller said that the allegations made by Canada were serious and they would consult with the Canadian government regarding the matter.
Apart from this, we also looked at the press briefings on November 18 and November 25, where we found that on November 18, responding to the question on the extradition of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother Anmol Bishnoi, Miller had said that only the Department of Homeland Security or the FBI could answer this.
On November 25 , Miller, in response to a question on the allegations against Adani, said that it was a legal matter and only the Department of Justice could answer it.
Newschecker did not find any mention across the press releases over two months on a ban on the entry of Amit Shah, Gautam Adani and Ajit Doval. We contacted the US Embassy in India, which in response to our email said that “as per the policy of the US government, the visa status of any person cannot be disclosed.”
We also went through the Canada immigration website, but we did not find any information regarding a ban on the entry of prominent personalities from India. We then contacted the
High Commission of Canada in India, who denied the viral claim and categorically said that it was completely fake.
Also Read: Old Video Of Sufi Shrine Being Vandalised In Bangladesh Shared As Attack On Hindu Temple
Conclusion
Newschecker’s investigation found that the viral claim of Canada and the US banning the entry of Union home minister Amit Shah, national security advisor Ajit Doval and industrialist Gautam Adani is fake.
Result: False
Sources
Press briefings by Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the United States Department of State
Telephonic conversation with the High Commission of Canada in India
Email from spokesperson, US Embassy in India
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
