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A World Literacy of Canada worker pulled off a plane in Paris under unexplained circumstances was finally on his way to Toronto on a free flight last night, a government source said.
Kamal Hussain and Dinesh Mishra had been on their first plane trip last Friday, from Delhi to Toronto, on a two-week exchange with the non-profit group. But Hussain was detained in Paris, then escorted back to India by French police, the source said.
Hussain, who runs a rural sewing project for World Literacy, was told there was something wrong with his passport. In India, authorities verified the passport was valid but it had been suspect because it had pages ripped or with holes, the source said.
Air Canada had declined to comment on the case but the source said it was the airline's decision not to let Hussain board. The airline did give Hussain a free flight to Toronto, however, he said.
World Literacy president Mamta Mishra (unrelated) said the organization's main concerns are to get Hussain to Canada, to clear his name and to get an explanation for how he was treated, all of which haven't happened yet.
No one in Canada or India was able to reach Hussain for 23 hours during the ordeal.
Hussain's name was not on a "no-fly" list, the source said.
