BHUBANESWAR, Odisha, India – A team of 13 tourists from Taiwan, including two senior political leaders from the south Asian country, was allegedly humiliated and denied entry into the Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapada district last month because of their nationality.

This was revealed after a Bhubaneswar-based tour operator lodged a complaint last week with the state forest department. The operator, Saroj Kumar Samal, mailed his complaint to Rajnagar divisional forest officer (DFO) K K Swain on January 6.

“On December 21, the Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary authorities categorically said Taiwanese citizens were not allowed into the park, but they could not substantiate the reason of such strange restriction. They did not produce any such order or restriction in writing. The shocked overseas tourists requested the park authorities to allow them entry, but to no avail,” said Samal, managing director of Tropical Vacations Pvt Ltd.

“The tourists blamed me for the inconvenience and are demanding Rs 13 lakh compensation from me. They have threatened to move their Embassy in Delhi if the park authorities fail to substantiate why there were not allowed into the wildlife sanctuary,” Samal said. Most of the tourists were senior citizens, he added.

The forest department has started an inquiry.