The Indian embassy in Italy has refuted allegations made by an Indian national who accused its staff of harassment outside its premises in Rome, calling the claims “false and fabricated”.
In a statement shared on X, the embassy said it was aware of a video circulating online in which the individual levelled accusations against its staff. “We have seen a video made by a certain Indian national. Claims being made by him are false and fabricated,” the embassy said.
It added that the individual had visited the premises but refused to comply with basic entry requirements. “He had come to the embassy and we were ready to meet him, but he refused to show his identity/passport. We follow some standard security protocols for visitors to the Embassy,” it said, adding that it remains committed to assisting Indian nationals and maintains regular outreach with the community.
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What triggered the row?
The embassy’s reaction comes after a video shared on Instagram by Indian-origin climate activist Jaydip Lakhankiya showed him in an argument with a man believed to be an embassy staffer. In the clip, the staffer is heard asking him to stop recording and is seen instructing others to escort him inside the premises.
Lakhankiya claimed that he was not attempting to enter the embassy and had only visited the location as part of his ongoing journey to raise awareness about climate change. In posts shared on Instagram, he said he is currently walking from Malta to India and had reached Rome after covering over 1,500 kilometres. He alleged that despite trying to secure an appointment with the embassy for 4 months, he received no response.
“I was not there to meet the embassy because they didn’t give me an appointment even after I asked for 4 months. So I didn’t ring the bell or bother them at all. I went there just to take a photo from outside the Embassy so I have proof that I was there. It is an official point for any mission because they are representing us,” he wrote in the caption of the post.
Lakhankiya added that he began recording the interaction as he felt the situation escalated unnecessarily. “I was shooting a video in the street, talking about my experience. But suddenly, this officer came and asked us many questions in a rude way, and then I started recording the video because we felt that this was not right,” he wrote.
“I was not bothering them; I was simply recording my video on the street, but still they treated us like this…That’s why I need to share this,” he added.
