India has strongly protested to China after Arunachal Pradesh resident Prema Wangjom Thongdok was detained for hours during transit at Shanghai Pudong Airport. Chinese immigration officials allegedly questioned her Indian identity, mocked her nationality, and claimed Arunachal Pradesh “is not a part of India.”
Indian officials in Beijing and Delhi issued a strong demarche the same day, reiterating that Arunachal Pradesh is “indisputably Indian territory” and its residents are fully entitled to hold Indian passports. India’s Consulate in Shanghai intervened immediately, assisted Prema with food and support, and secured her release after an 18-hour ordeal.
Prema, who works in London and was travelling from the UK to Japan, said she was shocked when officials suggested she “should obtain Chinese citizenship.” She later urged the Indian government to take strict diplomatic action.
Indian authorities told China that detaining an Indian citizen from Arunachal on such grounds was “ludicrous” and violated international civil aviation rules under the Chicago and Montreal Conventions. The incident has once again highlighted China’s repeated attempts to challenge India’s sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh.
