That's strange - it's the usual process at Indian airports to allow people in on the strength of a reservation confirmation if a boarding pass is not available. I hope this is not the start of some new, stricter process because I find that half the time I am unable to check in online for flights departing India (seen this with Delta, BA, Air France, KLM from BOM and BLR). It's unpredictable, and sometimes I can check in, but often not.