A United Kingdom-based Indian woman, originally from Arunachal Pradesh, went through a disturbing and unexpected ordeal at the Shanghai Pudong Airport on 21st November.

The woman, Prema Wangjom Thongdok, said she was stranded for almost 18 hours because some Chinese officials insisted that her Indian passport was “invalid.” Their reason was that the passport mentioned her birthplace as Arunachal Pradesh, which they falsely described as “a Chinese territory.” This claim immediately turned a simple airport transit into a frightening experience for her.

India reacted quickly to this unacceptable behaviour. Reports confirmed that the Indian government lodged a strong protest with China the same day. The Indian consulate in Shanghai also raised the matter with local authorities and provided full assistance to Thongdok so she would not be left alone in an intimidating environment.

Thongdok, a financial advisor, comes from Rupa in Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district and has lived in the UK for the last 14 years. On the day of the incident, she was travelling from London to Japan and had a scheduled three-hour transit at Shanghai Pudong Airport. During the security check for her connecting China Eastern Airlines flight, she was singled out by a Chinese immigration officer. When she asked why she was being stopped, the official claimed her passport could not be accepted because Arunachal Pradesh is “a part of China.”

She described her distress, explaining that the harassment quickly became personal and insulting. She recalled: “When I tried to question them and ask them what the issue was, they said, ‘Arunachal is not part of India’ and started mocking and laughing and saying things like ‘you should apply for the Chinese passport, you’re Chinese, you’re not Indian’… I have transited through Shanghai in the past with no issues at all. I couldn’t get in touch with my family for a very long time.”

Her situation became even more difficult as hours passed. She had no access to food or communication and was left completely helpless in a foreign country. Thongdok further added: “I was held at the airport for 18 hours, after I had already travelled 12 hours from London. They kept my passport and didn’t let me leave. I didn’t have access to food. Because there is no Google [in China], I didn’t have access to information either. They refused to let me travel on to Japan even though I had a valid visa for Japan. They insisted that I have to either fly back to the UK or fly to India.”

According to her, the officials continued to repeat the same claim—that Arunachal Pradesh was Chinese territory—while refusing to allow her to take her onward flight to Japan. She remained stuck at the airport, tired, hungry, and unable to contact anyone for help for a long time.

Thongdok finally allowed to leave after Indian consulate officials intervened

She described the behaviour of both the immigration staff and the airline staff as deeply insulting. She said: “That was a very humiliating, questionable behaviour from the immigration staff as well as the airline staff… I called up the Shanghai and Beijing Indian embassies, and within an hour, the Indian officials came to the airport, got me some food, spoke through the issues with them and helped me get out of the country. A very long ordeal, 18 hours, but glad that I’m out of there…”

After being detained for several hours, she repeatedly demanded access to a phone and the right to contact her lawyer. Eventually, she managed to call friends in the UK, who then helped her connect with the Indian consulate in Shanghai. Once informed, officials from the Indian consulate reached the airport within an hour.

She described their support in detail: “After I got in touch with the consulate, six officials from there arrived at the airport within an hour and brought me food. They tried to get them to let me travel onward to Japan, but they refused to allow that. They also insisted that I only book my flight out with China Eastern Airlines. I finally booked a flight to India with a transit stop in Thailand, and have stayed back in Thailand now, and am working remotely from there.”

Her experience showed how difficult it was for her to navigate the situation alone and how essential the consular intervention was in helping her exit China safely.

I have not given up my Indian passport because I love my country: Thongdok

After reaching safety, she reported the entire incident to the Ministry of External Affairs by writing an email explaining what happened. In her message, she highlighted that the Chinese officials’ decision to declare her passport “invalid” was a direct attack on India’s sovereignty. She wrote that the action was “a direct challenge to India’s sovereignty and deeply distressing to any Indian citizen.” She also pointed out that “A bilateral or geopolitical matter was misdirected at a private Indian citizen, which should never occur in any international transit setting.” She asked Indian authorities to take up the matter strongly with China and demanded compensation for the “harassment, distress, and physical and mental suffering,” along with the “financial losses” she faced.

Thongdok also explained that she has always held her Indian identity close to her heart. She said: “Despite being in the UK for so many years, I have not given up my Indian passport because I love my country and don’t want to be a foreigner in my own land, though I probably would not have had an experience like this if I had a British passport.”

Her experience comes against the background of China’s long-standing strategy of claiming Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh. For years, China has been attempting to push its false narrative by building infrastructure close to the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh, using it as a pressure tactic to challenge India’s territorial rights.