Indian student filmed at US airport in handcuffs
New Delhi: A disturbing video showing an Indian student handcuffed and restrained on the ground at Newark Airport prior to deportation from the United States has caused widespread anger. The clip was shared by Indian-American entrepreneur Kunal Jain, a social entrepreneur who writes books in Hindi, and recently relocated to India.
The footage has raised serious concerns about the treatment of Indian students overseas and has led to demands for intervention by the Indian government. Jain called on the Indian Embassy in the United States to look into the incident and help the student. He tagged the Indian Embassy, as well as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar seeking help for the boy.
"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," he posted on his social media handle.
"This poor kid's parent won't know what's happening to him. @IndianEmbassyUS @DrSJaishankar he was to be boarded last night in the same flight with me but he never got boarded. Someone needs to find out what's going on with him at the New Jersey authorities. I found him disoriented," Jain said.
Further, Jain believes from the student's accent that the latter is from Haryana in India. The boy, he noted, was shouting, "I am not crazy...they are hell bent to prove that I am crazy."
"These children get their visas and get on a flight in the morning. For some reason, they are unable to explain the reason for their visit to the immigration authorities and are sent back on the evening flight tied up like criminals. Every day 3-4 such cases are happening. There have been more such cases in the last few days," he added.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, since taking office in January, the administration of US President Donald Trump has deported a total of 1,080 Indian nationals from the United States.
The Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) is a transit law-enforcement agency serving New York and New Jersey. It is tasked with protecting the Port Authority's critical infrastructure, such as airports, bridges, tunnels, bus terminals, seaports, rail transit, and the World Trade Center complex. It is the largest transit‑related police force in the United States .
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