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Half of around 327 student visa revocations in the United States by the Trump administration have involved Indians, the American Immigration Lawyers Association has said. The group flagged “unprecedented” administrative actions against students, including those with no history of protests or criminal convictions.

The US is reportedly using AI to monitor student visa holders’ social media as part of a “catch and revoke” programme. Many affected were on Optional Practical Training, having graduated and begun working. Infractions cited included speeding tickets and even domestic violence complaints.

The External Affairs Ministry said it was in touch with affected students. Read on.

Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, a fugitive gangster wanted in 18 cases linked to terrorism and communal violence in Punjab, was on Friday arrested in United States’ Sacramento. He had entered the US illegally and evaded arrest by using burner phones, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The agency said Singh was linked to Babbar Khalsa International and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. He is accused of planning grenade attacks on police stations and political figures in collusion with Pakistan-based Harvinder Singh Sandhu, alias Rinda. A 2024 attack on former police officer Jaskirat Chahal’s home in Chandigarh was allegedly carried out on his instructions. Read on.

India has rejected Bangladesh’s criticism of the recent communal violence in West Bengal, saying Dhaka should stop “virtue signalling” and focus on safeguarding its own minorities. The comments came after Bangladesh’s interim government said it “strongly refutes” allegations of that it was involved in violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad during protests against the Waqf Amendment Act.

At least three people were killed in the clashes, which the Indian home ministry has partly blamed on “Bangladeshi miscreants”. Dhaka condemned the violence and urged India to protect its Muslim population. New Delhi responded by calling Bangladesh’s remarks a “disingenuous attempt” to draw false equivalence with India’s concerns about attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. Read on.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has urged Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to move a Rohith Vemula Act – a law proposed to curb caste-based discrimination in educational institutions. The Congress had promised to enact such a law if voted to power in Karnataka.

“It is a shame that even today, millions of students from Dalit, Adivasi and OBC communities have to face such brutal discrimination in our educational system,” Gandhi wrote in a letter

Vemula, a PhD scholar at Hyderabad Central University, died by suicide in January 2016. In his suicide note, he had alleged caste-based discrimination and harassment by the university. Read on.

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