New Delhi: Amid outrage over a video of an Indian student being handcuffed and pinned to floor at the Newark Airport in New Jersey in the US, the Indian government sources said that the student who belongs to Haryana had entered the US illegally without a valid visa and was being deported back to India.
“With regard to a social post about an Indian national detained at Newark Airport in New Jersey in the United States, our Consulate in New York has ascertained that the individual who belongs to Haryana had entered the United States illegally without a valid visa and was being deported back to India as per a court order,” the sources said.
Upon finding his behaviour not conducive for travel, the student was restrained and admitted to a medical facility during his transit in Newark, they said. The government sources further said that the student will be deported to India once he is fit to travel. “Our Consulate in New York continues to remain engaged with the US authorities on this matter,” they added.
The video, which was widely circulated on social media, showed the Indian student being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by authorities at the airport. At least four officials were seen holding him down, while two keep their knees on his back, the disturbing clip shows.
“I witnessed a young Indian student being deported from Newark Airport last night – handcuffed, crying, treated like a criminal. He came chasing dreams, not causing harm. As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken. This is a human tragedy,” a witness and an Indian-American entrepreneur, Kunal Jain, who shot the video, wrote on X. He also urged the Indian Embassy in the US to investigate the matter and provide assistance to the student.
