The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday urged Indian students in the United States to abide by American laws, following the detention of a Georgetown University postdoctoral fellow and the self-deportation of a Columbia University student to Canada.
The cases involve Badar Khan Suri, who was detained in Washington DC by the Department of Homeland Security for allegedly "actively spreading Hamas propaganda," and Ranjani Srinivasan, who left the US after her student visa was revoked over alleged support for Hamas and advocacy of violence.
While a US federal judge has temporarily blocked Suri’s deportation, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that neither Suri nor Srinivasan approached Indian missions in the US for assistance.
“We only came to know of her departure from the US from media reports… We understand that she has gone to Canada,” Jaiswal said about Srinivasan. “Neither the US government nor this individual has approached us or the embassy,” he said on Suri.
Jaiswal reiterated that visa and immigration decisions fall under the sovereign jurisdiction of individual countries, and Indian nationals must comply with local laws abroad.
“When we have foreign nationals coming to India, they abide by our laws and regulations. Similarly, it is our expectation that when Indian nationals are abroad, they must also comply with local laws,” he said.
Srinivasan, who entered the US on an F-1 visa as a doctoral student in Urban Planning at Columbia, had her visa revoked by the Department of State on March 5. She reportedly used the CBP Home App to self-deport on March 11.
The MEA said India values its strong educational ties with the US and hopes to expand student and knowledge partnerships further.
“The knowledge partnership and participation of our students… is an important element in our relationship, and we want to foster these ties further,” Jaiswal added.