The Indian government on Tuesday mandated that aircraft operators must provide the personal data of every passenger travelling on international flights to and from India.
The government established "National Customs Targeting Centre-Passenger" (NCTC-P) under the Passenger Name Record Information Regulations, 2022, to keep records of passengers, and later government officials will process them.
The passenger information is required for "the prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of offenses," as per the document.
The government can share the data with any country or foreign agency on case-by-case basis if it finds any passenger's involvement in "any offense under any law."
Every aircraft operator, meaning not only airlines but also chartered flight operators, will have to share information in the prescribed format 24 hours before departure from the airport. If they fail to do so, a cash penalty will follow.
Earlier, the International Federation of Journalists slammed Delhi for "suppression of free speech" as several journalists were denied the opportunity to travel abroad.
In July, two Kashmiri journalists, Aakash Hassan and Pulitzer award winner Sanna Irshad Mattoo, were denied permission to travel abroad, and the immigration authorities allegedly did not provide reasons for prohibiting them from leaving the country.
In another case, a US professor who specializes in sustainable development, was also sent back upon her arrival at an Indian airport.
According to L. Anurag Thakur, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, the government is taking action against those "hatching conspiracy against India, spreading lies and dividing society."