Tourists not to be allowed to work as journalists: Govt

The Union Home ministry has asked foreign correspondents to seek journalistic visas and not indulge in professional activities while travelling to India on tourist visas.

"The ministry of Home Affairs has noticed that foreigners coming on tourist visa are involved in coverage of events/journalistic activities," an order issued by the office of Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shide said.

The ministry pointed out that a tourist visa is not the appropriate visa for such activities by the foreigners.

"A tourist visa is issued to foreigners who do not have residence or occupation in India and whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sightseeing, casual visits to meet friends and relatives etc. No other activity is permissible on a tourist visa," the order said.

The MHA has requested the ministry of external affairs to convey the above to all Indian missions/posts abroad. All state governments and concerned authorities in the country have also been requested to ensure strict compliance.

According to sources former Indian journalists now on visits to India helped foreign journalists travelling on tourist visas in covering the brutal gangrape of 23-year-old year old physiotherapist in a moving bus by six persons before she was thrown out of the bus with her male colleague that led to her death in a Singapore hospital last week.