Handcuffed, crying, ‘treated like a criminal’: MIT alumni shares shocking video of Indian student deportee

Indian student handcuffed, pinned to the floor at a US airport before being deported — visuals of such a moment — has been doing the rounds on social media.

The person who posted the video, Kunal Jain, who is also a Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) alumni, claimed that the student was “treated like a criminal.” As per his post, the harrowing scene unfolded at Newark Airport, New Jersey. Tagging the Indian Embassy and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Jain made an urgent appeal for intervention.

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

According to Jain, the student—who appeared disoriented and terrified—was supposed to be on the same flight as him, to India, but never boarded it.

“This poor kid’s parents likely have no idea what’s happening to him,” he added. “Someone needs to find out what’s going on with him at the New Jersey authorities.”

‘I am not crazy’

In his X post, Jain noted that the student was possibly from Haryana, which he deduced from the student's accent. He was frantically yelling, “I am not crazy… they are hell-bent on proving I am crazy!”

Student deportations

As per the Ministry of External Affairs, Donald Trump's administration, since assuming power in January 2025, has deported as many as 1,080 Indian nationals from America.

Among the deported students, was also Ranjini Srinivasan, a 37-year-old Indian PhD student from Columbia University, who self-deported to Canada after her student visa was revoked for allegedly being a "terror sympathizer."

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Ranjini had even shared that she felt 'betrayed' by her alma mater – Columbia University.

"I spent five years at Columbia University, working, I don't know, maybe 100 hours a week sometimes. I never expected the institution to let me down. But it did," Ranjini Srinivasan had shared with the media outlet.