‘Treated like criminals, inhumane treatment’: Indian tourist shares ordeal in Russia

Tanwar travelled to Russia on July 8 with 12 other Indian tourists and said the nightmare began as soon as they landed.

An Indian tourist alleged ‘criminal-like, inhumane’ treatment by the Russian immigration officials after he and eight others from his group were detained for hours upon arrival in Moscow.

He claimed they were carrying valid travel documents. Amit Tanwar shared a detailed ordeal on his Instagram account, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian Embassy in Moscow to intervene, as per News18.

“We are being treated like criminals… The treatment we are receiving is inhumane. We feel helpless and humiliated," he wrote.

Tanwar travelled to Russia on July 8 with 12 other Indian tourists and said the nightmare began as soon as they landed.  While three members of the group were cleared by immigration, the remaining nine were allegedly pulled aside without explanation and their passports were confiscated.

He said they were asked to sit in a corner already crowded with other Indian travellers.

The group was reportedly taken to a separate room, where immigration officers allegedly inspected their mobile phones, photo galleries, search histories and YouTube activity for ten to fifteen minutes.

“Whoever thinks India is a superpower or believes that India-Russia ties are strong, it’s a myth," Amit Tanwar wrote in his post.

The group was reportedly moved to a locked, cramped room filled with other detainees, some of whom claimed to have been held for up to three days.

“We are so scared of the authorities here that we’re even hesitant to complain or speak publicly. We don’t know when we will be released – it could take 2-3 days or even 4-5," Tanwar wrote.

He alleged they were denied basic facilities and received no explanation about the deportation process ‘being carried out slowly’ – with one or two people processed at a time.

He said the officers spoke only in Russian among themselves and they were eventually told they would be deported.

Tanwar said they were deported via Baku, Azerbaijan and were worried about facing similar treatment if they returned to Moscow. He also said that Russian authorities were not allowing them to book return flights to India voluntarily.