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Farmer couple from Karnataka detained at Paris airport

59-year-old KN Ashok Kumar, a farmer, and his wife Meenakshamma (46) from Hassan district in Karnataka were in transit in Paris and headed for Finland to meet their son KA Darpam Gowda.

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A farmer couple from Karnataka on way to meet their son in Finland were reportedly detained and questioned at the Paris international airport before being bundled on a flight back home. Asked about the treatment allegedly handed out to the duo, Government today said it is ascertaining details about the incident.

59-year-old KN Ashok Kumar, a farmer, and his wife Meenakshamma (46) from Hassan district in Karnataka were in transit in Paris and headed for Finland to meet their son K A Darpam Gowda when they were stopped by French officials.

 According to reports, the couple were held back at the Charles de Gaulle airport in the French capital on August 26 for 20 hours and were grilled by officials, who had asked them to produce an invitation letter from their son.

"We would have been able to provide assistance to the couple if they had contacted the Indian Embassy there. But we are still ascertaining details about the incident," MEA sources said here. When contacted, the French Embassy here said the incident, if confirmed, was regrettable.

"If confirmed we are sorry for what has happened. We have asked for more information. We want Indians to travel to France without any hassles. We are concerned (about the incident) and we are inquiring into it," a French Embassy spokesman said.

The ostensible reason for the deportation was the couple's inability to produce a copy of their son's letter inviting them. Kumar's explanation that the letter had been submitted to the Finnish embassy in India which had granted them visa did not apparently satisfy the officials.

Reports also quoted Kumar as saying that the French officials did not allow him to use his mobile to call his son. Later, with the help of a Frenchman, Kumar called his son Darshan in India who contacted his brother in Finland.

Darpam faxed all the information needed for the couple to the airport authorities but by then, they had been put on a flight back to India.

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