New Delhi:
The Indian government advised citizens studying in the US to comply with American law after the researcher was arrested and another student had to take their own sworn in Canada.
Badar Khan Sri, a postdoctoral researcher at Georgetown University, has been accused of spreading “Hamas propaganda” by US authorities while Columbia student Ranjini Srinivasan’s visa was rescinded after participating in a Palestinian protest.
The two Indians did not contact the US Indian embassy for assistance, said Landil Jaiswal, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Sri and Ms Srinivasan are among the latest scholars to be targeted in the crackdown on protests on the pro-Palestinian campus in the United States. President Donald Trump, who called such individuals “terrorist sympathizers,” threatened to cut university funding and deport such students.
Trump’s policies shake the world of academics, and students fear losing their residence permits. US authorities have allegedly pursuing Suri’s deportation, which he claims his wife’s Palestinian roots led to his arrest, but the court recently blocked his removal from the state.
Read: Hamas Link suspected of landing Indian researchers in our troubles
However, Ms. Srinivasan did not get a chance. She left for Canada after her US visa was revoked because she was said to be “defending violence and terrorism” and revoked on alleged involvement in an effort to support Hamas, a Palestinian group banned by the US and Israel. A doctoral student at Columbia University used the Customs and Border Protection Home App to self-promotion in Canada on March 11th.
The issue of visas and immigration lies within the function of the country’s sovereignty, Jacewal said Friday that the United States has the right to determine such internal matters.
“We expect that when foreigners come to India they will comply with our laws and regulations. Similarly, when Indian citizens are abroad they will have to comply with local laws and regulations,” he added.
Speaking at the weekly briefing, he assures students that Indian consulates and US embassies will help them in the face of difficulties.
Read: How Ranjani Srinivasan escaped us amidst immigrant crackdown
Jaiswal said he saw media reports about Suri’s detention, but “neither the US government nor this individual is approaching us or the embassy.”
The Indian side also did not know that Ms Srinivasan would contact the Indian Consulate for help, Jaiswal said. “We’ve come to know that she’s left the US from media coverage, and we understand that she went to Canada,” an MEA spokesperson added.
He said many Indians are studying at American universities and the government wants to strengthen education relations with the US.
“If Indian students are facing problems, the consulate or embassy will be there to help them with their happiness (and) safety. We will continue if there are Indian students who want a helping hand. Our consulate and government, our embassy will be there to help them.”
