An alarming account has recently come to light from a woman who shared her experience on Instagram, claiming that a group of 56 Indian citizens faced “inhuman behavior” while attempting to cross the Sadakhlo border from Armenia into Georgia. Despite having valid e-visas and all the required documents, the group was allegedly subjected to a harrowing ordeal. The woman’s post, which quickly gained attention, called on Indian authorities to intervene and help those affected by the situation.
In her detailed Instagram post, the woman explained that she was part of the group of 56 Indians who had valid e-visas to enter Georgia. Upon arriving at the Sadakhlo border, they were forced to wait for over five hours in freezing cold conditions.
During this time, they were given no food and were denied access to washrooms. She said that officials took their passports for more than two hours and provided no information or updates. The group was reportedly made to sit on a footpath and was treated “like cattle”. The woman also claimed that officials filmed them as if they were criminals but prevented the group from taking any videos themselves. Without even properly checking their documents, the Georgian authorities simply declared that their visas were “wrong”.
Here is the Instagram post:
The post which also tagged the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar quickly went viral, with many users sharing similar negative experiences. One person who claimed to be part of the same group backed up the woman’s story, stating that the Georgian officials were “very humiliating and very rude”. They said that despite providing all the necessary documents and cooperating fully, the police simply collected their information without processing any of their documents. The commenter strongly advised other Indians against visiting Georgia, stating that the country “don’t deserve to be our host in any means”.
The incident highlighted a pattern of behavior that many people in the comments section had also experienced.
One user mentioned that this was the second such incident of poor treatment by Georgian officials they had heard of that week. Another user recounted their own experience from 2019, where they were also questioned extensively like a criminal, although they were eventually granted entry. This person noted that while they had a wonderful time in Georgia because of local friends, many others have faced problems there over the years.
Another traveler with experience in over 60 countries shared a similar story, noting that Georgia was one of the few places where they faced a hard time at immigration despite having all the required documents and visas for many other Western countries. This person advised fellow Indian travelers to be prepared for the worst, as getting a positive outcome often seemed to depend on luck and the specific officer one encountered.
An immigration lawyer in Tbilisi, who specializes in student cases, spoke to a news portal about the issue, confirming that there has been a significant increase in deportations targeting Indian and Pakistani nationals. According to the lawyer, even travelers with valid visas have been subjected to arbitrary rejections, detentions and deportations without any clear reasons or proper legal procedures.
The news report also detailed the case of an Indian medical student who had moved to Georgia in July. His mother described how years of hard work and financial investment was destroyed by a humiliating experience. She stated that her son was handcuffed, physically assaulted and deported without any reason, and she believed officials had ruined his dreams. She also accused the officials of treating him “like a criminal just because of his skin colour”.
The family had worked for three years to maintain his visa and temporary residence card but he was suddenly detained without any warning. His mother explained that plainclothes officers violently handcuffed him while he was simply walking outside his apartment. He was held for two days, during which he was denied water and humiliated before being deported.
This whole incident is really pathetic.
NOTE: ALL THE IMAGES HAVE BEEN USED FOR THE REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE ONLY
