Supporters of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) at an election rally in Amritsar, May 30, 2024. NARINDER NANU/AFP
Vanessa Dougnac, a journalist and correspondent for several French-language publications over two decades, was forced to leave India in 2024. She looks back on her life and work in South Asia in her book, Jungles.
Did you understand why the Indian authorities banned you?
I never received a clear official explanation. I only have a letter from the Interior Ministry, which in January 2024 asked me to surrender my residency permit and accused me of engaging in "journalistic activities" deemed "malicious and critical," "creating a negative and biased perception of India," which could "cause unrest" and are "contrary to the security of India and the interests of the general public."
Were there topics you covered that put you in the government's crosshairs?
