IIT-Madras' German student made Nazi reference during CAA protest; deported
A German student, studying at IIT-Madras, was asked to leave India after he took part in protests against the newly-implemented Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), multiple reports said. The student, Jacob Lindenthal, left the country last night after he ran into trouble with immigration. Lindenthal, an exchange student from Technische Universität, was supposed to complete one more semester at the prestigious university. Here's what happened.
Let's understand why India took to streets
Recently, innumerable Indians protested against the newly-implemented CAA, claiming it contradicts the secular fabric of India. The law allows persecuted non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, to get Indian citizenship. Its critics said that coupled with the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which BJP said it would implement nationwide, CAA will become dangerous and could be used as a tool to target minorities.
Students across India berated Centre for the law
Protests against the controversial law were held across India, from Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia University to IIT-Madras, and from Kolkata to Mumbai. At one such protest in Chennai, Lindenthal held a placard which read, "1933 to 1945; We Have Been There" (a reference to the Nazi regime in Germany)". He also participated in other protests and his ill-informed views got him in trouble.
Here's a video of Lindenthal participating in a protest
Yesterday, he was told to meet immigration officials
As per Lindenthal, he received the first call from Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) when he was in Bengaluru, a few days ago. He told Indian Express that as soon as he reached Chennai, his course coordinator asked him to meet the immigration officials. The conversation started with his residential permit and then moved towards his political views, he told the daily.
Immigration officials asked me to leave: Lindenthal
He met three officials and one of them asked him pertinent questions. "Towards the end of the conversation, they said I may have to leave the country immediately for violating my student visa rules. When I asked for a written letter, they returned my passport and said that I may leave," he added. He claimed he was promised a letter, but didn't receive it.
He was told he was uninformed
"At one point, the officer, referring to my decision to take part in protests, said I was uninformed, that I should not have attended protests when I didn't know what I was protesting about. I disagreed," he said.
"In Germany, we don't get evicted for participating in demonstration"
Lindenthal, who was pursuing M.Sc. in Physics, said he loved India but was worried about "illiberal extremes". "In Germany, nobody is ever evicted for participating in a legal demonstration," he added. Meanwhile, immigration sources told TOI that a foreigner violates visa norms by participating in a political rally. "Such a violation attracts deportation and we also do an inquiry," the official said.
I won't come back: Lindenthal said in farewell message
Separately, Lindenthal's friend revealed that his visa was valid from June 2019 to June 2020. From the airport, Lindenthal, who hails from Dresden, texted some of his friends, "I am at the airport. Leaving. I won't come back. Decided by the immigration office." When asked about this episode, IIT Director Bhaskar Ramamurthy said he didn't know about it as he was traveling.
