German student expelled from India over participation in protests against Indian government
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NEW DELHI – German student expelled from India over participation in protests against Indian government.
A German student namely Jakob Lindenthal, who participated in protests against India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Chennai, was asked by the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) officials to leave India.
According to the local media reports in India, Lindenthal, a student from the Technical University of Dresden on an exchange programme at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, was informed that he had been in violation of visa regulations.
During the protests, Lindenthal had said, “The Indian constitution is a secular one and what the ruling government is doing is a clear form of discrimination.
I am from Germany and I am aware of what happens when this form of discrimination is taken too far.”
Lindenthal was summoned to the BOI office on Monday and was asked about his views on Indian politics and the anti-CAA protests. After the inquiry, he was told that he would have to leave the country immediately and reapply for a visa if he wanted to visit again.
Though the German Consulate offered to give him contacts of lawyers for help, feeling unsafe, he decided to leave, sources at IIT told the local media.
Lindenthal said he had received “oral directions” from immigration authorities to leave India from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office in (FRRO) in Chennai.
