NEW DELHI: A Russian woman staying in Delhi on an X1 visa has alleged harassment during a visit to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) last week. X1 visa is an entry visa for Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) who do not possess an Overseas Citizen of India card. The 26-year-old influencer and YouTuber, Kristina Kumar, alleged she faced “demeaning” behaviour from two women officials at the FRRO while submitting documents for her visa extension on Sept 26. “When I visited the office last week with my boyfriend, they were polite. But on Friday, when I entered room 303 alone to submit my papers, they started asking me personal questions,” alleged Kumar, who has been living in Delhi for a year with her Indian boyfriend. She further alleged that the officials asked her queries she thought were unnecessary for the visa process. The ‘intrusive questions’ led Kumar to text her discomfort to the boyfriend. “They (officials) saw me messaging and demanded to check my phone. I felt I shouldn’t refuse, so I handed over my phone. Then they started to read my chats, including with a man from my gym who helps me shoot videos. They asked me, ‘Why are you talking to him when you have a boyfriend?’,” she alleged. Talking to TOI about how uncomfortable she felt, Kumar alleged, “The officials started telling me that they know what I do and how many hotels I have stayed in. They asked me how much I earned in a month. It made me extremely uncomfortable as the officials were indirectly implying that I am an escort.” “I was deeply disturbed, not just by the inappropriate questions, but also by the fact that they came from officials in charge of my visa extension. I even considered applying for an exit permit,” she said. Kumar has approached the Russian Embassy and has also written to the head of FRRO, asking for a review of the employees’ conduct. Denying Kumar’s allegations, a senior official from FRRO said, the questions were a part of their inquiry. There were certain irregularities in Kumar’s documents, which are being verified and that the questions about her living situation were meant to understand and clarify those issues, the official added.
