Indian Student Accused Of Anti-Semitism And Spreading Hamas Propaganda Arrested In US; To Be Deported
United States: Continuing its punitive measures against pro-Palestinian protesters, the US administration, led by President Donald Trump, arrested an Indian research student at Georgetown University in the US. The post-doctoral fellow, Badar Khan Suri, was reportedly detained by masked agents of the Department of Homeland Security outside his home in Virginia on Monday.
The Department of Homeland Security told Suri that the country has revoked his visa, accusing him of “spreading Hamas propaganda and antisemitism on social media.” It is reported that the US is seeking to deport the Indian student, deeming him as ‘harm’ to US foreign policy. The student’s lawyer has said that he is in custody in Alexandria, awaiting a court date in immigration court.
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Notably, authorities have not cited any evidence supporting their claim that Suri engaged in illegal activities. Talking about his arrest, a spokesperson from his university said that they had not received a reason for Suri’s detention and were unaware of his engagement in alleged illegal activities. Suri, who lives in the US, is married to a US citizen, Mapheze Saleh.
Last week, another Indian student, Ranjani Srinivasan, self-deported from the US after the administration cancelled her visa for participating in pro-Palestine protests. The US Department of State had made similar allegations that the 37-year-old doctoral research student was involved in alleged activities “supporting Hamas.”
Sharing footage of the Indian student leaving the US, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Srnivasan a “terrorist sympathiser,” adding that those who “advocate terrorism and violence” must not stay in the US. Reacting to the development, Srnivasan, who is currently in Canada, called it a “dystopian nightmare.”
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On being labelled as a “terrorist sympathiser”, the Indian student expressed her shock, saying, “I am fearful that even the most low-level political speech or just doing what we all do – like shout into the abyss that is social media – could turn into this dystopian nightmare where somebody is calling you a terrorist sympathiser and making you, literally, fear for your life and your safety,” the New York Times quoted her.
She also highlighted that her activities were only liking or sharing posts showing the human rights violations in the Gaza war on social media.
