Who is Manikarnika Dutta? Historian facing deportation from UK after 'overstaying' in India for research

Researcher and historian Manikarnika Dutta recently faced deportation from the UK after she visited her country India for research.

According to the Home Office, 37-year-old Dutta exceeded her time permitted to stay in India. As per a report by The Guardian, Dutta made trips to India to carry out research, and accessed "critical archives for her work on British imperial history".

An assistant professor at University College, school of history, Dutta has conducted research at Oxford and Bristol previously.

Now the Home Office has rejected for her to live in the UK as she stayed outside for a greater more of days, and has been rejected the right to stay in the country. The Home Office cited that she does not have a family in Britain, however, Dutta and her husband live in south London and have been married for over 10 years.

Having lived in the UK for 12 years, Dutta expressed shock after she received an email saying she will have to leave.

"A large part of my adult life has been lived in the UK since I came to the University of Oxford to do my Master’s. I never thought something like this would happen to me," she said as quoted by the publication.

After coming to the UK on student visa in 2012, Dutta acquired a spouse visa later. Her lawyer Naga Kandiah said that the research trips for Dutta were important in order to complete her thesis.

After applying for indefinite leave to stay in the UK in October, her application was refused, however, her husband's application was approved.

"You must now leave the United Kingdom. If you don’t leave voluntarily, you may be subject to a re-entry ban of 10 years and prosecuted for overstaying," the review stated.

Dutta's lawyer has challenged the decision by the Home Office, and the office has stated they will reconsider the decision in three months.

"If the UK genuinely seeks to position itself as a global leader in academia and innovation, it must foster an environment that is welcoming to top talent," Dutta's lawyer said as reported by the publication.