The appointment of Sriram Krishnan as an AI advisor to US President-elect Donald Trump has sparked a concerning surge in anti-India sentiment on American social media. 

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Recently, a video on the internet is doing the rounds where a US man can be seen collecting signatures from Indians in the country to "stop the spread of the H1B virus."

X user Alex Rosen shared the video on his social media platform and captioned it as, “Getting Indians to sign to stop the spread of the H-1B Virus.”

In the video, he can be seen asking Indian shopkeepers to sign a petition that disturbingly states "stop the spread of the H1B virus", describing the visa programme as a contagion.

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On being asked about the symptoms of the "virus", the man claims that they include “diarrhoea” and “smell” which he said “originates from India.” 

He then can be seen telling Trump to "Man up" towards the end of the video.

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Also read: H1B visas: US far-right goes on anti-India drivel over Trump's pick Sriram; Musk wades in

Mixed reactions on social media

The video has garnered over one million views since being posted on X. The reactions on the platform were sharply divided, with some people expressing support and others vehemently condemning the man as a racist.

One user wrote, "You're a horrible little man. Indians are hard-working people, and America wouldn't exist without them. My wife is Indian, and she is the smartest, most beautiful, and hard-working person I know. Yes, that includes white people.” Another added, “You’ve done heroic things in the past, but this is BY FAR the most heroic. I applaud you, good sir.”

While a third commented, “You have problems, man. This debate is not about hate against South Asians or East Asians, it is about love for Americans.” A fourth posted, “Epic troll.”

'I've Always Liked H1-B', says Trump

Trump, in an interview with the New York Post in December, praised the use of H-1B visas for bringing skilled foreign workers to the US, stating, “I have always liked the visas, I have always been in favour of the visas. That’s why we have them.” 

“I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great programme,” Trump said, echoing the views of Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Sriram Krishnan, and David Sacks.

The issue of H-1B visas has caused division among Trump’s supporters, especially after his appointment of Krishnan.

Critics argue the programme impacts American jobs, while others, including Elon Musk, have supported skilled immigration. 

(With inputs from agencies)