Two Sri Lankan journalists who were on an assignment to India had to undergo harassment by an Indian Immigration officer at the Mumbai International Airport when they were detained and questioned despite possessing a valid visa and other documents.

Daily Mirror journalist Lakmal Sooriyagoda and Daily News journalist Sara Pathirana arrived at the Mumbai International Airport on December 1 on a Jet Airways Flight No. 9W 255 and proceeded to the Immigration Counter.

At the counter a lady officer attending to them on seeing the Sri Lankan passports had inquired their purpose of the visit.

When they explained and showed the relevant documents the officer had said that she was not satisfied and taken them to a separate room and detained them. Later she had referred them to a higher officer.

However, the higher officer who perused the documents had cleared them afterwards.

The delay resulted in them almost missing a connecting domestic flight to Indore Airport in Madhya Pradesh. (LS)