Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng Svendsen, who writes for the Oslo-based newspaper Dagsavisen, has alleged that her Indian visa was cancelled at the last minute, stopping her from attending the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad on November 13–14. Invited as a speaker and panelist on media, press freedom, and democracy for the Congress-organized international event, Lyng stated she had already received both her visa and official political clearance before the Indian Embassy in Norway called her just ten minutes prior to her airport departure to revoke her travel permission.

According to Lyng, embassy officials gave no formal explanation for the sudden denial of entry, telling her only that her visa was cancelled due to "orders from above" issued by India's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Appealing directly to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on social media to reverse the decision in time for her panel, Lyng noted that the move felt politically motivated and questioned what the world's largest democracy was trying to prevent.

Regarding the reason behind the cancellation, Lyng linked the restriction to her critical reporting on the Indian government and a widely publicized incident in May 2026 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Oslo. At a press briefing there, she had publicly challenged the Prime Minister on why he does not answer questions from Norway's free press—an exchange that went unanswered by Modi. Neither the Ministry of Home Affairs nor the Ministry of External Affairs has issued an official statement explaining the visa revocation.

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