India investigates Netflix over allegations of visa violations, racial discrimination

India is looking into the business practices of Netflix's local operations, including claims of visa violations and racial discrimination, as revealed in a government email sent to a former executive.

This information was detailed in a July 20 email, reviewed by Reuters, from a home ministry official to Nandini Mehta, Netflix's former director of business and legal affairs for India, who left the company in 2020, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media. 

"This concerns allegations of visa and tax violations related to Netflix's business practices in India," wrote Deepak Yadav, an official from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) within the home ministry in New Delhi.

He added, "We have received specific information regarding the company's conduct, including visa violations, illegal structures, tax evasion, and other misconducts, including incidents of racial discrimination during its operations in India."  

In a statement via email, Mehta indicated that she is pursuing a lawsuit against Netflix in the US for alleged wrongful termination and racial and gender discrimination—claims that the company disputes.

She expressed her support for the Indian investigation and hopes the authorities will make their findings public, but did not provide further details on the allegations.   Yadav declined to comment, stating he was not authorized to speak to the media, and both the FRRO and India's home ministry did not respond to inquiries.

A Netflix spokesperson stated that the company was "unaware of any investigation by the Indian government." The email from the Indian official indicates increasing scrutiny of Netflix in India, where it has approximately 10 million users and views the country as a growth market targeting affluent individuals in a population of 1.4 billion. Over the years, the US streaming giant has created more local content featuring Bollywood actors.

By Naila Huseynova