Radio-tagging of Indian students in US ''inhuman'': Krishna

Bangalore, Jan 30 (PTI) Taking strong exception toradio-tagging by US authorities of scores of Indian studentsduped by a "sham" university in California, India todaydescribed it as an "inhuman act" and demanded severe actionagainst those responsible.

"We demand that the US government initiate severe actionagainst those officials responsible for this inhuman act.

Indian students are not criminals. The radio collars shouldimmediately be removed," External Affairs Minister S MKrishna told reporters here.

The students, mostly from Andhra Pradesh, are facing theprospect of deportation as US authorities last week shut downthe Tri-Valley University in Pleasanton, a major suburb in SanFrancisco Bay Area, on charges of a massive immigration fraud.

The university is said to have 1,555 students, and asmany as 95 per cent of these students are Indian nationals.

"The Ministry will extend all help to the students.

The parents need not worry since the matter has been taken upwith appropriate authorities," Krishna said.

The government would also provide suitable assistance tothe affected students if they wished to return home, he said.

Some of the Indian students, who had landed themselvesin the dubious university, were forced to wear radio collarsaround their ankles to enable the US authorities keep track oftheir movements.

The affected students are now frantically knocking atthe doors of colleges begging for admission in their desperateattempt to save their academic careers and avoid deportation.

Following a raid at the university last week, US federalauthorities swooped down on its students for questioning andinterrogation.

Immigration attorneys and Indian-American communityleaders, who have been helping these students, said thatscores of them had been detained and released on bond andmany of them installed with Intensive Supervision AppearanceProgramme or radio tags.