Indian Tourist eVisa rejected for volunteer trip while group member was approved

Asia Visas
1

Hi everyone, I just received a rejection email for my Indian Tourist eVisa and I am trying to understand why I was flagged while others in my group were approved.

I am a US citizen planning to travel to India in two weeks for a 30-day trip that involves some voluntary teaching at a local school. I applied for the standard Tourist eVisa. A friend of mine, also a US citizen on the same trip, applied the same day and was approved within 24 hours.

I suspect two potential reasons for my rejection:

  1. In the application, I explicitly mentioned “voluntary teaching” under the purpose of visit or employer section.
  2. My parents were born in China, although I was born and raised in the US.

Has anyone navigated a rejection like this? given the short timeline, is there any way to appeal or fix this via eVisa, or do I need to visit the consulate immediately?

2

Realizing this is likely a confusion regarding the visa subclass rather than just a random error, I wanted to provide a quick heads-up on the regulations here.

3

I was informed during a similar procedural engagement that my application was subject to disproportionate scrutiny due to a misalignment of declared intent.