Congress calls PM Modi to address student mistreatment in US

Prime Minister Narendra Modi should immediately talk to US President Donald Trump to appeal for intervention on the "mistreatment and atrocities" against Indians, the Congress said on Tuesday after a video emerged showing an Indian student being handcuffed and pinned to the floor at a US airport.

Congress leaders shared the video and pictures of an Indian student handcuffed and pinned to the floor at USA's Newark Airport before he was allegedly deported.

The Consulate General of India in New York has said it is in touch with local authorities after the video surfaced online showing the young Indian man being handcuffed and allegedly being deported.

"We have come across social media posts claiming that an Indian national is facing difficulties at Newark Liberty International Airport. We are in touch with local authorities in this regard," the Indian Consulate said in a post on X.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Modi government is continuously failing to protect the honour of India and Indians.

"For the first time in history, a US head of state has announced a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in Washington DC. The US President is continuously claiming credit for maintaining pressure on India. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi has not been able to summon the courage to speak - either on the ceasefire or on the atrocities being perpetrated against Indians in the US," Ramesh said in a post on X.

Protecting the honour of India and Indians is one of the most important responsibilities of the Prime Minister of India, he asserted.

"We demand that Prime Minister Modi should talk to President Trump and appeal for intervention in the atrocities happening against Indians and the fear that has gripped lakhs of Indian students in America," Ramesh said.

He called on the PM to appeal to Trump for intervention on the "mistreatment and atrocities" being committed against Indians in America.

Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera tagged a post on X carrying the video, which was posted online by an Indian-American social entrepreneur Kunal Jain. The video shows the Indian man pinned to the ground by Port Authority Police and being handcuffed.

"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," Jain said in his post.

Tagging Jain's post, Khera said, "This is too painful, too humiliating and too distressing to watch. As a country, why should we tolerate this humiliation?" "From the days where we showed the muscle to the US during the Devyani Khobragade issue to now seeing our citizens being treated like animals, do we have no goodwill left in the world?" the Congress leader said.