GERMANY, December 25, 2026 (Indian Express): Naveen Kakkar and his wife Sheela fled Afghanistan nearly three decades ago as the first Taliban regime was ready to take control of Kabul. Later, their son, Nishant, a special child, was born in Germany in 1991. Three decades on, with the Taliban back in Kabul, the religious fundamentalist group seems to be controlling their fate again — the couple’s visa applications to India to immerse Nishant’s ashes in the Ganga are stuck since September “despite submitting all required documents”, ostensibly due to stringent checks required after the Taliban regime’s return in August 2021. 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”. “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.
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. 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”.
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https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/afghan-hindu-family-in-germany-await-visa-to-immerse-sons-ashes-in-ganga-8342773/