Ever since the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed by the government, students – from universities all across the country – have protested against the act.
Recently, students from IIT-Madras demonstrated against the government policies in Chennai and with them was a German student, Jakob Lindenthal.
Days after he was seen protesting, Lindenthal revealed was asked to leave the country immediately.
Jakob, who has a semester left of his post-graduation in Physics, was told he has violated student visa rules because of his participation in the protests.
According to Business Standard, Jakob Lindenthal was scheduled to leave India only in May, 2020.
Talking about the charges pressed against him, he said:
There were apparently administration issues with my visa. After ruling these out, I was extensively questioned by the immigration officer about my political opinions. Then I was informed about the decision (asking him to leave).
Apparently, an IIT official had sent a report to the higher authorities about Lindenthal’s participation in the protest.
However, the administration said they were unaware of his involvement in any such protest.
As soon as the news became viral, netizens came forward to support Jakob and the students of IIT-M.
Lindenthal confirmed he’s not going to back out but will instead consult his lawyer and decide the next course of action.