The Ministry of External Affairs has formally raised the matter with the US Embassy in New Delhi in the wake of social media videos purportedly showing an Indian national being handcuffed and pinned to the ground at the Newark airport.
The Indian Consulate in New York has also been in touch with the US authorities to ascertain the details of the incident, as per sources.
Posted on X by Indian-American entrepreneur Kunal Jain, the videos and photographs showed an unidentified young man being restrained by officers from the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), the agency responsible for law enforcement across major transport hubs in New York and New Jersey Sunday night. Jain had tagged the Indian Embassy in Washington DC and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in his series of posts.
During a call from The Indian Express to Port Authority Police Department at Newark International Airport, an officer said that “the PAPD doesn’t get involved in deportations”.
“The Ministry has formally raised the matter with the US Embassy in New Delhi. Our Embassy in Washington DC and the Indian Consulate in New York have also been in touch with the US authorities to ascertain the details,” sources in the Ministry said.
“We have so far have not received any details about the incident or the circumstances under which he was restrained, the flight he had to board or boarded and his final destination,” sources said, adding that the ministry will continue to follow up on the matter. There is still no information if the person has left Newark or has arrived in India, as per those aware of the matter.
