Filippo Osella, a well-known anthropologist who has had a long association with Kerala, was deported on his arrival at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport on Thursday.
Immigration authorities acted on the instructions from the Central Government, according to sources at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport. However, Prof. Osella, who is currently Professor of Anthropology and South Asian Studies with the University of Sussex, U.K., was not given any reason for his deportation.
Prof. Osella was to have attended a conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday on themes connected with the livelihood of coastal communities in the State, particularly the impact of extreme weather events.
Airport sources said Prof. Osella arrived by an Emirates flight from Dubai on Thursday morning. Immediately on his arrival, he was taken to the immigration authorities who informed him that he was denied entry into the country.
A surprised Prof. Osella reportedly lodged a protest, but he was forced to board a Dubai-bound Emirates flight shortly afterwards.
Prof. Osella has been involved with researches in Kerala since the 1990s. Described as a non-controversial figure by academics who have collaborated with him, his topics of study have included the Ezhavas as well as the Muslims of Malabar. Reportedly, his research visa is valid for another 45 days.
Prof. Osella had joined the Sussex University in 1999 and is a former head of the anthropology department there.
