2 Apr 2012

The Hindu, Sunday, April 1, 2012

“Will review historian’s visa cancellation issue”

Special Correspondent

New Delhi: Replying to questions about American historian Peter Heehs, Mr Chidambaram said that he would review the decision on cancellation of the visa to the historian who was living in Puducherry by Monday.

Mr Heehs was asked to leave the country after he had spent nearly four decades working on a project of digitisation and archival of works of freedom figter and spiritual leader, Sri Aurobindo.

“This (decision to cancel the visa) was noticed by me this [Saturday] morning and I understood that the FRRO Puducherry passed the order. I have asked for a suo moto review and I will take a decision on Monday,” said Mr Chidambaram.

Eminent historians and academics have protested against the move of cancelling the U.S. historian’s visa and have also petitioned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mr Chidambaram for reviewing the decision.

Mr Heehs, author of the book “The Lives of Sri Aurobindo”, had drawn the ire of a section of the spiritual leader’s devotees who say the work contains objectionable matters.

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