Indian students in US must comply with local laws: MEA

NEW DELHI: Indian students in the US should comply with American laws, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday following the detention of a postdoctoral fellow at the Georgetown university and self-deportation of another student to Canada. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the two Indians did not reach out to the Indian missions in the US for assistance. Badar Khan Suri, the postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University in Washington DC, was detained Monday night by the Department of Homeland Security on charges of "actively spreading Hamas propaganda".

A US federal judge has blocked Suri's deportation from the US. The action against Suri came less than a week after Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian student at Columbia University, self-deported to Canada after her visa was revoked for allegedly "advocating for violence and terrorism" and involvement in activities supporting Hamas. The Indian embassy and consulates in the US will help students facing any difficulties, Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing while responding to a question.

Visa and immigration policies

Jaiswal said decisions on visa and immigration policy are the sole prerogative of respective countries and the respective laws must be complied with. "When it comes to visa and immigration policy, it is something that lies within the sovereign functions of a country." "We, on our side, we expect that when we have foreign nationals coming to India, they abide by our laws and regulations. And similarly, it is our expectation that when Indian nationals are abroad, they must also comply with local laws and regulations," he said.

On Suri's detention, Jaiswal said, "We are given to understand through media reports that this particular individual, he has been detained." "Neither the US government nor this individual has approached us or the embassy. So, this is what we understand," he said. On the case involving Srinivasan, Jaiswal said the Indian side is not aware of her getting in touch with the Indian embassy or any consulate in the US for help. "We only came to know of her departure from the US from media reports... We understand that she has gone to Canada," he said.

Srinivasan’s student visa status

Srinivasan had entered the US on an F-1 student visa as a doctoral student in Urban Planning at Columbia University, the Department of Homeland Security said. It alleged that Srinivasan was "involved in activities supporting" Hamas. The Department of State had revoked her visa on March 5. The Department of Homeland Security said it has obtained video footage of Srinivasan using the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home App to self-deport on March 11.

Jaiswal said that a sizable number of Indian students are studying in the US and that India is keen to bolster educational ties with the US. "The knowledge partnership and participation of our students or enrolment of our students in universities of the US and the expansion of the knowledge partnership is an important element in our relationship, and we want to foster these ties further," he said.