New Delhi sources stated that an External Affairs Ministry release said the Indian Embassy in Washington has also opened a round-the-clock helpline for assistance and queries related to detention of Indian students by the US authorities. Accordingly “A demarche was made to the Embassy of the United States in New Delhi by the Ministry of External Affairs. Our concern over the dignity and well-being of the detained students and the need for immediate consular access for Indian officials to the detainees was reiterated.
The release said “We underlined that students, who may have been duped into enrolling in the ‘university’, should be treated differently from those recruiters who have duped them. We have urged the US side to share full details and regular updates of the students with the government, to release them from detention at the earliest and not to resort to deportation against their will”.
The spokesperson added “We can confirm that the Embassy received a demarche from the Ministry of External Affairs about the Indian citizens detained in the United States this week. We refer you to the Department of Homeland Security in the United States for information on their status”. Moreover the MEA release said that officials posted at India’s mission and consulates have visited several detention centers in the US to extend consular assistance to detained students.
