New Delhi, 19 April

Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP John Brittas on Saturday wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, urging him to raise the issue of revocation of visas of Indian students with the US government at the "highest appropriate levels".

In a letter addressed to the minister, Brittas also urged him to ensure that legal and consular assistance is provided to the affected by Indian Missions there.

Brittas claimed a deeply distressing and increasingly alarming situation was being faced by hundreds of Indian students in the United States, whose visas have been revoked without prior notice or sufficient explanation.

"What deepens the distress is the nature of the reasons cited for these visa revocations - many of which are astonishingly petty, disproportionate, and wholly incongruous with the gravity of the action taken," he alleged.

He said students have reportedly faced cancellations for minor traffic violations such as speeding or misdemeanours, inadvertent lapses in documentation, unintentional academic infractions without formal inquiry, social media expressions or journalistic writings-especially on issues like the Palestinian conflict-as well as minor incidents such as inadvertently failing to scan or catalogue items correctly while using self-checkout kiosks in stores.

Brittas also said denial of an opportunity to be heard is creating a "chilling atmosphere of fear and uncertainty among thousands of Indian students striving for legitimate academic pursuits in the United States".

"What is particularly troubling is the opaque and arbitrary nature of these actions, which appear to lack both procedural fairness and proportionality," he said.

He said the gravity and magnitude of the issue demand a robust and coordinated diplomatic response by the Government of India.

"We must not allow our youth to be subjected to indignities and jeopardy on foreign soil. We need to stand firmly by them in their hour of crisis."

Brittas urged the External Affairs Minister to immediately take up the matter with the US Government "at the highest appropriate levels seeking clarity, reversal of unfair visa cancellations, and an assurance of non-discriminatory and transparent treatment of Indian students."

Amid instances of Indian students in the US receiving communications from local authorities on possible revocation of their visas, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday that Indian missions in the United States are in touch with Indian students facing issues relating to revocation of visas and extending possible support to them.