MEA: Expect Indian nationals abroad to comply with local laws and regulations

The Indian embassy and consulates in the US will help students facing any difficulties, though the two students against whom American authorities have taken action have not reached out for assistance, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a regular media briefing.

Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, was detained by operatives of the Department of Homeland Security, reportedly for supporting the Palestinian cause, in Arlington, Virginia, on Monday night. His detention came less than a week after Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian student at Columbia University, self-deported to Canada on being accused of involvement in activities supporting Hamas.

Jaiswal made it clear that visa and immigration policy are the sovereign functions of a country. “On our side, we expect that when we have foreign nationals coming to India, they abide by our laws and regulations,” he said. “Similarly, it is our expectation that when Indian nationals are abroad, they must also comply with local laws and regulations.”