Arunachal Born Woman Detained 18 Hours in Shanghai Airport; Chinese Officials Declare Her Indian Passport “Invalid”

New Delhi: A UK-based woman from Arunachal Pradesh was subjected to nearly 18 hours of detention and harassment at Shanghai Pudong International Airport after Chinese immigration authorities refused to accept her Indian passport, insisting that her birthplace, Arunachal Pradesh, is “part of China”.

Prema Wangjom Thongdok, who was transiting through Shanghai while returning to the United Kingdom, took to social media to recount the ordeal. She said officers repeatedly told her that Arunachal Pradesh belongs to China, declared her Indian passport “invalid”, and suggested she should travel on Chinese documents instead.

According to Thongdok, she was confined to a restricted area, denied the freedom to buy food or book onward tickets, and faced prolonged questioning about her nationality and place of birth. Several immigration officials and airline staff allegedly ridiculed her and urged her to apply for a Chinese passport.

Only after urgent intervention by the Indian Consulate General in Shanghai was she finally allowed to board a flight out of China. Describing the incident as “deeply humiliating and traumatising”, Thongdok has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and other senior officials, demanding that India lodge a strong diplomatic protest and seek accountability and compensation from Beijing.

The episode has sparked widespread outrage across India, particularly in the Northeast, with political leaders and civil society groups viewing it as a deliberate affront to Indian sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh – a state China continues to claim as “South Tibet”.

Activists have called on the Ministry of External Affairs to issue immediate travel advisories for citizens from Arunachal Pradesh and other border states, warning of potential similar harassment when transiting through Chinese airports.

The incident comes against the backdrop of continuing India–China border tensions and Beijing’s periodic assertions over Arunachal Pradesh, including the recent renaming of places within the state by Chinese authorities.

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