Kunal Jain, the NRI man who posted the video of an Indian student being pinned to the ground and getting arrested at the Newark Airport in the US, said that the youth was treated in a way that “the United States doesn’t even reserve for terrorists”.
In an interview with the NDTV, Jain said the arrest was made close to where the passengers for the flight to New Delhi were waiting to board. He said the youth was not able to explain the purpose of his visit to the US and became “a bit violent” when the authorities asked him to get on the plane.
According to Jain, the authorities claimed that the youth was disoriented because he was speaking in a different language. They also refused offers by Hindi speakers who were willing to help the student communicate.
When the boy refused to cooperate, they called the pilot, who refused to take him on the airplane as he posed a threat to the other passengers, Jain added. The police then called in backup and about eight officers pinned him down and tied his arms and legs.
Later in the day, the US Embassy in New Delhi said the country continues to welcome legitimate travellers to the country, but it "cannot and will not tolerate" illegal entry and abuse of visas.
Jain added that when the youth was initially arrested by the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), people assumed that he was Mexican.
The boy’s identity has still not been officially confirmed. Jain later took to X to say that he was “not arguing the legality of this young man’s status”, and that the boy should not have been subject to public humiliation.
“#BringHimHome I saw it happen with my own eyes at Newark Airport. We can’t undo the pain, but we can demand dignity. We ask the Indian government, U.S. institutions, and every global citizen to take this seriously. Share this. Speak up,” Jain added in his recent post.
India raises with US incident of 'ill-treatment'
The Ministry of External Affairs formally raised the matter with the US embassy in New Delhi, official sources told PTI. The Indian Consulate in New York has ascertained that the man hailing from Haryana had entered the US illegally without a valid visa and was being deported back to India as per a court order, they said.
The Indian embassy in Washington DC and the Indian Consulate in New York have also been in touch with the US authorities to ascertain the details in the case
The ministry is yet to receive details about the incident and the circumstances under which the Indian student was arrested.