Amid US President Donald trumps crackdown on illegal immigrants, the Indian government has advised its citizens studying in the US to comply with the laws there. This comes after a researcher Badar Khan Suri was arrested and another student had to self-deport to Canada.

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Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry, while speaking to the media on Friday (March 21) said that the two Indians, Suri and Ranjini Srinivasan, did not contact the Indian embassies in the US for of assistance.

Speaking further he said the US has the right to decide internal matters like visa and immigration as it is under the purview of a country's sovereign functions.

"We expect that when we have foreign nationals coming to India, they abide by our laws and regulations. Similarly, we expect that when Indian nationals are abroad, they must also comply with local laws and regulations," he added.

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However, he assured complete assistance by the Indian consulates and embassies in the US to the students if they faced any difficulty.

Accusations against Suri, Ranjini

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Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University was arrested by the US immigration officers for spreading "Hamas propaganda", while Ranjini Srinivasan's visa was revoked for participating in pro-Palestine protests. Ranjini, however, self-deported to Canada on March 11 using the Customs and Border Protection Home app, immediately after her US visa was revoked.

Meanwhile Suri claims his wife's Palestinian roots led to his arrest and is likely to be deported by the US authorities. However, his deportation has been put on hold after a court order.

Academic world shaken

Several academics have been targeted in the US for their pro-Palestine campus protests. Trump has termed individuals participating in such demonstrations as "terrorist sympathizers", and has warned university to cut down on their fundings and deport such students.