India denies Naipaul's wife's charge

The Indian High Commission has denied a charge by Lady Nadira, the wife of Nobel laureate and acclaimed author V S Naipaul, that she encountered discourteous behaviour from a commission official when she came to inquire how her husband could apply for a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card.

Naipaul apparently wanted the card as it would enable him to travel visa-free to India. It is learnt that Lady Nadira approached the Indian High Commission at India House in London three months ago inquiring how to apply for such a card.

She recently told an Indian newspaper that an official of the high commission told her that the Trinidad-born Naipaul would have to go to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh - where his family hailed from - and fetch a certificate of origin from the office of the local 'tehsildar'. The report referred to Lady Nadira's indignation at the treatment meted out to her and husband.

Full report here IBNlive