Jakob Lindenthal, a student from Germany, who was at IIT Madras (Indian Institute of Technology Madras) under an exchange programme, had to leave India on Monday for participating in protest programmes against Citizenship Act and the proposed NRC. Jacob Lindenthal is a regular student of a German university which has entered into an exchange agreement with IIT Madras.
Lindenthal, a post-graduate student of Physics, was at IIT Madras for the past six months as part of the one-year exchange programme. He, reportedly, left for Amsterdam on Monday after being asked to leave India from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office in Chennai after his participation in an anti-Citizenship Act (CAA) protest last week landed him in trouble with the immigration department.
Officers in Chennai informed him that his taking part in protest was in violation of visa rules. “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),” he told News18. Jakob is from Dresden in Germany.
Lindenthal left for the Dutch capital on Monday night as the immigration department asked him to leave the country by midnight or face deportation, he said.
“I was in Bengaluru this weekend. My coordinator told me today (Monday) that I should go to the immigration office. I went there and was told that I have to leave the country. This happened at 2 pm today and I had to leave IIT Madras campus at 3 pm. I have to consult my lawyers and decide my next course of action,” he said.
When asked about his participation in the rallies so far, he said, “I just accompanied my friends. I didn’t raise any opinion or opposition. Since Section 144 was not imposed, I just went with friends to Chepauk and Valluvar Kottam.”
However, Lindenthal added that when he was interviewed by media persons during the demonstrations, his statements were based on the Indian Constitution. According to media reports, IIT Madras is yet to respond to queries regarding the developments.