An Arunachal Pradesh–born Indian citizen has accused Chinese immigration authorities of detaining her for hours and refusing to recognize her passport during a transit stop in Shanghai, turning a routine layover into a prolonged and distressing ordeal.
Prema Wangjom Thongdok, currently based in the United Kingdom, was travelling from London to Japan on November 21 with a scheduled three-hour layover at Shanghai Pudong Airport. According to her account, shortly after she passed the immigration checkpoint and was waiting at security, a Chinese official called out her name loudly while shouting “India, India,” and singled her out from the queue.
She said she was then escorted back to the immigration counter, where officials declared her Indian passport “invalid” solely because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her place of birth. Prema told India Today TV that when she asked why the document was being rejected, the officer responded: “Arunachal is a part of China. Your passport is invalid.”
Prema said she was shocked, noting that she had transited through Shanghai the previous year without any issue. She also said she had verified with the Chinese Embassy in London beforehand that there should be no problem for Indian passport-holders transiting through the airport.
The situation deteriorated further when several immigration staff and China Eastern Airlines personnel allegedly mocked her, laughed at her, and suggested she should “apply for a Chinese passport.” Her three-hour transit turned into an 18-hour detention in the airport, during which she said she was denied access to clear information, proper meals, or basic facilities.
She alleged that her passport was withheld and that she was prevented from boarding her onward flight to Japan despite having a valid Japanese visa. Confined within the transit zone, she said she could not buy food, rebook flights, or move between terminals. According to her, airline staff pressured her to buy a fresh ticket exclusively on China Eastern and hinted that her passport would be returned only after doing so, resulting in financial losses from missed flights and non-refundable hotel bookings.
Eventually, she managed to contact the Indian Consulate in Shanghai through a friend in the UK. Indian officials later intervened and facilitated her departure from China that night.
Prema has since written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials, describing the incident as a “direct insult to India’s sovereignty and to the citizens of Arunachal Pradesh.” She has requested that the Indian government take up the matter formally with Beijing, seek disciplinary action against the immigration and airline staff involved, and push for compensation. She also urged the government to ensure that Indians born in Arunachal Pradesh do not face similar discrimination during international travel in the future.
