Pulitzer Winner Sanna Irshad Mattoo Says Stopped From Flying Out of India Again

The Kashmiri photojournalist was on her way to New York to receive the Pulitzer Prize when she was stopped in Delhi.

Sanna Irshad Mattoo, a Pulitzer-winning photojournalist from Kashmir, was reportedly stopped by immigration authorities in Delhi flying out of India for the second time.

(Photo: The Quint)

Kashmiri photojournalist Sanna Irshad Matoo said on Tuesday, 18 October, that she was stopped from flying out of India for the second time. Mattoo was on her way to the United States to receive the Pulitzer Prize when immigration authorities reportedly stopped her at the Delhi airport.

"I was on my way to receive the Pulitzer award in New York but I was stopped at immigration at Delhi airport and barred from traveling internationally despite holding a valid US visa and ticket," Mattoo said on Instagram.

This is, reportedly, the second time she was barred from travelling out of India. On 2 July, the journalist said she was stopped in Delhi from flying to Paris for a book launch and photography exhibition as one of the winners of a prestigious grant.

"This is the second time I have been stopped without reason or cause despite reaching out to several officials after what happened a few months ago but I never received any response. Being able to attend the award ceremony was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me."

Sanna Irshad Mattoo, Pulitzer-winning photojournalist

Mattoo, who spoke to The Quint after being stopped from travelling abroad in July, said, "Without any justification or reason, I have been prevented from travelling. I was stopped at Immigration, and they told me that they don't know the reasons. The police officials from Kashmir have apparently asked that I be stopped, this is what I was told by the immigration officials."

In May 2022, Mattoo won the Pulitzer Prize, becoming the first woman from Jammu and Kashmir to receive the prestigious prize in journalism.

She shared the award with the Reuters team, including the late Danish Siddiqui, Amit Dave, and Adnan Abidi, for their coverage of the COVID-19 crisis in India.