New Delhi, July 4: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) is planning to take up the matter of the US embassy denying a visa to its president with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“This is an issue of Indians’ prestige. We have written to the foreign secretary, health minister and American ambassador about it. We will now meet the PM,” said Narendra Saini, spokesperson of IMA.

Dr Mohammad Abbas, president, IMA, was invited by the American Medical Association for their National Conference from June 14 to 18 in Chicago and a conference by American Physicians of Indian Origin at Las Vegas from June 27 to 29. As the invitation was for four people, Dr Abbas had made plans with his family and applied for the visa to the deputy consulate general in Kolkata since he belongs to Cuttack. The response was prompt and Dr Abbas got a letter for an interview on June 5.

“The day we had to go for an interview, a bandh was announced. To reach on time, I arranged for an ambulance,” Dr Abbas told The Indian Express.

However, when the family reached the embassy, Dr Abbas was told that he would not be able to attend the conference. “First, they asked me for more accurate photos, then they took my finger- prints and finally said that I'll not be able to attend the conference,” said Dr Abbas.

Prior to this, Dr Abbas has been to the US and various other countries including the UK, Australia, Malaysia and France. What has disturbed the IMA president is that this was the first time that he was not given a visa and that too, to attend conferences. “For the first time in independent India, I got the feeling that I am a Muslim. The visa was not given to me even when the associations in America approached their embassy here,” Dr Abbas added.