Amid the self-deportation row, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday urged Indian students in the US to comply with "American laws".
This came after the detention of a postdoctoral fellow, Badar Khan Suri, at Georgetown University and the self-deportation of another student to Canada.
Suri was detained by the Department of Homeland Security on Monday night for "actively spreading Hamas propaganda".
What Did The MEA Say?
In a routine press briefing, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that consulates in the US will help Indian students who are facing any difficulties.
"The Indian embassy and consulates in the US will help students facing any difficulties," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, as quoted by PTI.
"When it comes to visa and immigration policy, it is something that lies within the sovereign functions of a country," he said.
"We, on our side, 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," Jaiswal added.
Randhir Jaiswal said the two Indians did not approach the Indian Mission in the US for assistance.
The action against Suri comes less than a week after Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian student at Columbia University, self-immigrated to Canada after her visa was revoked for allegedly "advocating violence and terrorism" and engaging in activities supporting Hamas.
"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 issue related to Srinivasan, Jaiswal said that the Indian side was not aware that she had contacted the Indian Embassy and other consulates 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.
Self-Deportation of Ranjani Srinivasan
On March 5, the Department of Homeland Security revoked Ranjani Srinivasan's visa.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said it received video footage of her self-deportation on March 11 using the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home app.
