Ever since the nationwide anti-CAA protests erupted, the Home Ministry has been quite active in serving foreign protesters with ‘Leave India’ notices.
Kolkata| A Polish student of Comparative Literature in Kolkata’s Jadavpur University has been sent a notice by the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO) and asked to leave India, according to information.
The Foreigner Regional Registration Office, which operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs, keeps track of the registration, movement and stay of foreigners in India. The contents of the letter have not been made public, nor has the student spoken to the media about it.
A JU source told PTI that Kamil Siedcynski, a Polish student of Comparative Literature, was asked by the FRRO to visit its Kolkata office, which he did on February 22.
“Siedcynski was served a notice by the FRRO asking him to leave the country within a fortnight on receipt of the notice for alleged conduct deemed inappropriate for a foreign national staying in India on a student visa,” the source said.
The JU source said several teachers and Left-leaning students of the varsity were of the view that Siedcynski was paying the price for attending an anti-CAA rally at Moulali area in the city in December last year where he was interviewed by a Bengali daily and a brief report on him was published the next day.
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“Some people probably forwarded a copy of the report to the FRRO. Siedcynski has no political leanings but his enthusiasm to attend the protest rally and click photographs landed him in trouble,” the source said.
Days before this, Afsara Anika Meem, a Bangladeshi student of Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, was asked to leave India for indulging in “anti-government” activities, however not specifying what actions of her had fetched her the notice. She had allegedly shared some photographs of an anti-CAA protest on campus.
In December last year, Jakob Lindenthal, a German student at IIT Madras, was sent back to his home country and Norwegian tourist Janne Mette Johannson was questioned by Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Kochi for similar reasons.
According to visa guidelines laid out by the MHA, Foreign nationals shall be required to strictly adhere to the purpose of visit declared while submitting the visa application. However, a foreign national (other than a Pakistani national) coming to India on any type of visa will be allowed to avail activities permitted under a tourist visa.
However, there are no provisions specified under “anti-government” activities subhead.
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