Editors Guild demands explanation over cancellation of Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng’s India visa
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New Delhi: The Editors Guild of India (EGi) has condemned the last-minute cancellation of the Indian visa of Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng, who was scheduled to travel to Hyderabad to speak at the Bharat Summit. The Guild has sought an explanation from the government and demanded that the cancellation be reversed.
Lyng was to attend the Telangana government-organised Bharat Summit from November 12 to 14, where she was scheduled to speak on a panel on the future of media. According to Lyng, the Indian Embassy in Norway informed her that her visa had been cancelled just before she was to leave for the airport.
In a statement issued on November 12, the EGi said it was unable to understand the reason for the cancellation. It described Lyng as a legitimate and respected international journalist and said her only apparent “crime” was posing a question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a press briefing in Oslo in May 2026.
The Guild said the move amounted to bureaucratic overreach and could damage India’s image as the world’s largest democracy. It added that freedom of speech is a fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution and a basic principle of any functioning democracy.
The EGi demanded that the government disclose the reasons for cancelling Lyng’s visa, reverse the decision and allow her to present her views to the Indian people. The statement was signed by EGi president Sanjay Kapoor and general secretary Raghavan Srinivasan.
Lyng said she had received political clearance and a valid single-entry visa for the duration of the summit. She said the Indian Embassy told her that the Ministry of Home Affairs had decided she would not be allowed to enter India, and asked her to visit the embassy in person to have the visa physically cancelled.
The Ministry of External Affairs had cleared the names of foreign nationals attending the Bharat Summit on November 3. The clearance letter had stated that approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs and other relevant authorities was also required.
Lyng said she believed the decision may be linked to her questioning of Modi in Oslo in May 2026. At a joint press briefing with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, she had asked Modi why he did not take questions from “the freest press in the world.” Modi walked away without responding.
Lyng also said her earlier criticism of the Modi government and her questioning of Indian billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani may have played a role in the decision. She said she was disappointed at being unable to make what would have been her first visit to India.
The organisers of the Bharat Summit said it was unfortunate that Lyng would not be able to attend. The Wire reported that it had sought a response from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs on the reasons for the visa cancellation, but no response had been received at the time of publication.