'Protecting honour of India...': Congress says Modi must talk to Trump over 'atrocities against Indians'

Congress leaders shared the video and pictures of an Indian student handcuffed and pinned to the floor at USA's Newark Airport before he was allegedly deported.

New Delhi: Congress on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately appeal to US President Donald Trump to intervene to end "mistreatment and atrocities" against Indians, a video went viral in which an Indian student is being handcuffed and pinned to the floor at Newark airport.

While the Consulate General of India in New York said it is in touch with local authorities, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh claimed that the Modi government is continuously failing to protect the honour of India and Indians.

"For the first time in history, a US head of state has announced a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in Washington DC. The US President is continuously claiming credit for maintaining pressure on India. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi has not been able to summon the courage to speak - either on the ceasefire or on the atrocities being perpetrated against Indians in the US," Ramesh posted on 'X'.

"We demand that Prime Minister Modi should talk to President Trump and appeal for intervention in the atrocities happening against Indians and the fear that has gripped lakhs of Indian students in America," he said.

Congress Media and Publicity Department chairman Pawan Khera, who tagged a post of an Indian-American social entrepreneur Kunal Jain who shared the video of the incident, said, "this is too painful, too humiliating and too distressing to watch. As a country, why should we tolerate this humiliation?"

"From the days where we showed our muscle to the US during the Devyani Khobragade issue to now seeing our citizens being treated like animals, do we have no goodwill left in the world?" Khera said.

In his post, Jain had said, "I witnessed a young Indian student being deported from Newark Airport last night - handcuffed, crying, treated like a criminal. He came chasing dreams, not causing harm. As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken. This is a human tragedy."