New Zealand YouTuber who lives in India says he has been ‘blacklisted’ from country and kept from wife for 269 days

Karl Rock, a New Zealand origin content creator in India, says he has not been given the reason behind his visa suspension

A screengrab from Karl Rock’s YouTube channel where he discusses work-from-home scams aimed at trapping housewives and job seekers across India to extort money (YouTube/Karl Rock)

A New Zealand origin content creator who used to live in India has alleged that the Indian government is blocking him from entering into the country and has added his name to the blacklist, separating him from his wife and family.

Proclaiming his love for India, Karl Rock, a Youtuber with over 1.79 million followers says that he has not been provided with a reason behind the suspension of his visa.

Taking to Twitter to air his grievances, Rock tagged New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern and wrote: “Dear [Jacinda Ardern], the Govt of India has blocked me from entering India, separating me from my wife & family in Delhi. They blacklisted me without telling me, giving reasons, or letting me reply (sic).”

A popular Youtuber, Rock has been living in India for the past 10 years with his wife Manisha Malik and her family, making videos about travel safety and travel destinations.

In a detailed blog post titled: “Why I haven’t seen my wife in 269 days”, he said that his visa was suspended at the airport in October 2020, when he was travelling from India to Dubai and Pakistan.

He added that ,since the suspension of his visa, he has written to the Home Ministry of India multiple times and the High Commissioner of India in New Zealand, but his requests have gone unanswered.

Speaking about the trauma of being separated from his wife when she had coronavirus, he wrote: “During that time 25 people died at the hospital we go to because of lack of oxygen and people we know were dying of Covid. I felt sick in my stomach being away from her at that time because when I had Covid in March 2020, she took care of me. But I wasn’t there for her.”

“Being exiled from my family has been very difficult to deal with,” he wrote. “In the beginning, I would get panic attacks. Now it’s progressed into me being extremely unhappy.”

“Imagine you can’t return home and you’re up against the Government of India. The pressure is more than I’ve ever experienced,” he added.

Rock wrote that he along with his wife would be appealing to the Delhi High Court to request his removal from the Blacklist.

“I’m feeling very thankful to the Indian Judiciary system for being there because Manisha and I have been ignored the entire time by the Government. Without the Judiciary, we’d have no recourse. So thank you, and I’m hopeful that the Judiciary will review my blacklisting and give a fair decision.”

The Independent sought a comment from the High Commissioner of India in New Zealand. However, at the time of filing the story, they had not yet responded.