New Jersey: A shocking video has emerged showing an Indian student being handcuffed and pinned to the floor at Newark Airport in the United States. The video was shared by Indian-American entrepreneur Kunal Jain, who claimed the student was treated like a criminal by US authorities.
Jain contacted the Indian embassy in the US to seek help and ensure the safety and security of the student. The entrepreneur wrote on X, “I witnessed a young Indian student being deported from Newark Airport last night— handcuffed, crying, treated like a criminal.”
Student beaten by Port Authority officials
Jain, President of HealthBots AI, said he witnessed the disturbing scene firsthand. He shared a video clip on X showing the student being forcibly restrained and allegedly beaten by airport officials. In one of the images, an officer is seen wearing a cap with the words “Port Authority Police”. “He came chasing dreams, not causing harm. As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken. This is a human tragedy,” Jain added.
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. @IndianEmbassyUS #immigrationraids pic.twitter.com/0cINhd0xU1
— Kunal Jain (@SONOFINDIA) June 8, 2025
The Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) is a transit law enforcement agency operating in New York and New Jersey. It is responsible for securing key infrastructure such as airports, bridges, tunnels, bus terminals, seaports, rail systems, and the World Trade Centre complex. PAPD is the largest transit-related police force in the United States.
Jain mentioned that the student appeared to be Haryanvi, based on his accent. Similar cases of Indian students being deported have come to light in the past few days. The Indian student was unable to explain the reasons for his US visit.
“These children get their visas and get on a flight in the morning. For some reason, they are unable to explain the reason for their visit to the immigration authorities and are sent back on the evening flight tied up like criminals. Every day 3-4 such cases are happening. There have been more such cases in the last few days,” Jain wrote.
Reaction of netizens
The incident sparked a widespread controversy on social media. An X user commented, “This is the embarrassment like you are spending huge amount of money and you are entering into a country and you are getting deported like a criminal how far is this good morally ?”
Another said, “I know atleast 8-10 Indians who’ve been deported back to India on direct flights WITHOUT Handcuffs! The fact that there were so many Airport Authorities & Police clearly goes to show that this wasn’t just a matter of a Student being deported. I bet there’s more to it!”
A netizen exclaimed, “Is this the way to treat passenger, irrespective of his status, situation, language which you might not understand or you might not convince with his answers , totally agree. But not a way to treat in front of everyone like this.”
