‘Indians abroad must comply with local laws’: MEA on academics facing deportation in US

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said that Indian citizens living abroad must comply with local laws.

The comment by ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal came in response to a reporter’s question about Indian academic Badar Khan Suri being held in the United States and doctoral student Ranjani Srinivasan having been forced to “self-deport” for allegedly supporting Palestinian militant group Hamas.

“We are given to understand through media reports that this particular individual [Suri], he has been detained,” Jaiswal said at a press briefing on Friday. “Neither the US government nor this individual has approached us or the Embassy. So, this is what we understand.”

On the matter relating to Srinivasan, Jaiswal said: “…see we have spoken on this issue on several occasions in the past, that 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,” the spokesperson said. “And similarly, it is our expectation that when Indian nationals are abroad, they must also comply with local laws and regulations.”

Suri was arrested by the US immigration authorities on Monday for allegedly “spreading propaganda” of Hamas. He was informed that his...

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