Afghan Hindu family in Germany await visa to immerse son’s ashes in Ganga

Nishant, 31, died of a brain attack in February, and the Kakkars, Hindus from Afghanistan who still hold Afghan passports, are awaiting a nod from the Indian Embassy to make the trip to Haridwar and let their son’s “soul to rest in peace”.

Nishant Kakkar passed away due to a brain attack in February. (Express Photo)

An employee at McDonald’s in Frankfurt, Kakkar is not a lone case. Many among nearly 3,000 Afghan Sikh and Hindu families settled in Germany — many still with Afghan passports — have failed over the months to get a visa, with the Indian Embassy either “rejecting” applications “without giving a reason” or “sitting over them”.

Jaganth Gerdezi, president, Afghan Hindu Cultural Association, Germany, said at least a hundred visa applications of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus are pending, of which at least 20 are from families who want to go India for “asthi visarjan (immersing ashes) in the Ganga”. “Five more people have died here in the last two weeks,,” he added.

“Off the record, we were told that there was security concern for people with Afghan passports…no reason for visa denial has been given to us officially,” Gerdezi said.

Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs (M,EA) said visas are taken care of by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

An MHA spokesperson said there is no such policy to deny visas to Afghan passport holders but “visa issuing process takes time.”

Another MHA official said: “Visas applications from Afghan nationals have been held due to security reasons since the Taliban came to power. The backlog is being cleared after due verification.”

Nishant with his parents. (Express Photo)

Kakkar told The Sunday Express over the phone from Frankfurt: “My son never walked on his own feet for life. At least he deserves final peace for his soul. We request Prime Minister Narendra Modi-ji to please issue our visas so that we can immerse the ashes of our son at Haridwar…”

An Afghan Sikh community leader, requesting anonymity, said Afghan Sikhs and Hindus with Afghan passports living in countries such as Sweden, the UK and the UAE, the UK are also being denied visas to India since the regime change in Kabul. “Their valid visas were also declared invalid and fresh ones are not being issued despite emergencies such as deaths in family or medical treatment,” he said.

Kakkar fled Kabul nearly three decades ago as the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated for Hindu and Sikh minorities. Leaving behind his flourishing currency exchange business, Kakkar said he started from scratch in his new home.

From completing death rituals to visiting families, pilgrimage to Haridwar and Golden Temple to getting treatment for health issues, Afghan Hindus and Sikhs in Germany have been visiting India without any hindrance for the last many decades but “things suddenly changed” after the Taliban takeover of Kabul last year, they said. They said their visas are being rejected by India “without specifying any reason”, and despite Modi’s promise to “help persecuted minorities from Pakistan and Afghanistan”.

For families like Kakkar’s, the situation is grave. “We cannot keep the ashes here after cremation for long as per German rules,” he said. “We have to pay them a certain amount if ashes have to be kept beyond a year. I have only two months left to keep my son’s ashes at the local crematorium. Modi-ji said he will help Hindus and Sikhs persecuted in Islamic countries…. Then we are being denied visas? Special flights went from India to rescue Afghan Sikhs and Hindus from Kabul after the Taliban came. Why can’t we come to India to give peace to our son’s soul?”

Bansi Lal Juneja (67) and his wife Pamila Devi (60), an Afghan Hindu couple living in Cologne, Germany, have received a visa rejection a year after their application. Juneja, who suffers from a liver ailment, wanted to undergo Ayurveda treatment in India, as also visit relatives in Delhi.

Their daughter-in-law, Madhu Juneja, said: “My in-laws still hold Afghan passports. But never before did we face an issue getting a visa for India. After the Taliban takeover, it seems they (Indian authorities) are rejecting applications of Afghan passport-holders without doing any background check, or verification or purpose of visit. Despite being Hindu immigrants from Afghanistan, they are now being denied visas. My father-in-law’s treatment is going on in Germany but it is proving ineffective, so we wanted to start Ayurvedic treatment in India.”

Madhu said they had applied for visas in December 2021, and received a reply after a year, stating that the application was rejected. “But no reason has been specified for the rejection,” she added.

Nearly 500 Afghan Hindu families are registered with Asamai Temple in Frankfurt, opened by immigrants after moving to Germany, and their association, Afghan Hindu Cultural Association, have sent multiple letters to Modi and the MEA to consider visas of at least families who want to complete last rites, but without any positive response yet, said Gardezi, the council’s president.

Gardezi told The Sunday Express: “No time-line is being given. They are simply denying visa to Hindus and Sikhs because they hold Afghan passports. We have been visiting India for years to complete death rituals, weddings, visiting families, pilgrimage to Haridwar, etc. There was no problem. Suddenly, we cannot enter India just because we have Afghan passports. This is beyond logic.”

In their latest letter to Modi, the Council wrote: “We introduce ourselves as Afghan Hindus who migrated from Afghanistan to different parts of the world & European Countries in the last two (or) three decades. In Germany, most of us are now well settled…but few families and (their) aged parents still have asylum status. They are availing all benefits and support from the German government, except to travel abroad they have a Travel Document and Afghan passport…. Being Hindus, we wish to visit Hindu pilgrimage sites in India. We also have to visit Haridwar to perform the last rituals of the deceased family members. In this connection, we are facing problems in getting a visa for India…. Please help us in getting the necessary visa for those who want to perform the last rites…”

Sudesh Lund (70), who lost her husband, Om Parkash, in March this year, said: “We had to leave everything in Afghanistan and come to Germany as migrants in 1992. It wasn’t our fault then. My soul will not be at peace until my husband’s ashes are immersed in the Ganga and he is at peace. Please give us a visa…”