New Delhi: India has asked the US to take a
"lenient" view of the students duped by a California-based
"sham" university amidst reports that they were forced to wear
radio collars around their ankles so that American authorities
can keep a track of their movements.
Maintaining that the the fraud was done by the US
university, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi
today said "we requested the state department to take a
lenient view because all the students are innocent."
He said the university had no registration and it was not
the fault of the Indian students.
Ravi said the Indian Consulate General there was in touch
with the local authorities on the issue and they are waiting
for a report and only then they will know what assistance
should be given to the students.
Duped by the authorities of Tri-Valley University, which
has been shut down, hundreds of Indian students, mostly from
Andhra Pradesh, faced deportation back home after having lost
their student visa status.
According to a federal complaint filed in a California
court last week, the University helped foreign nationals
illegally acquire immigration status. The students are
reported to have paid lakhs of rupees for obtaining a visa for
their category and also for students` work permit.
Meanwhile, sources said the wearing of trackers was part
of the procedure in cases where there was a possibility of
deportation.
PTI
