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In first remarks since fleeing US, Indian student recounts 'dystopian nightmare'
Columbia University, home to numerous international students, has emerged as a key battleground in the government's push to curb campus activism.
Ranjani Srinivasan, an international student from India at Columbia University who fled the United States after her student visa was revoked, expressed fear that even low-level political speech, such as posting on social media, could turn into a “dystopian nightmare.”
The Department of State revoked 37-year-old Srinivasan’s visa on March 5, citing her alleged involvement in activities supporting Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation.
The department said that it had obtained footage of Srinivasan using the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home App at New York's LaGuardia Airport to self-deport on March 11.
“I’m fearful that even the most low-level political speech or just doing what we all do — like shout into the abyss that is social media — can turn into this dystopian nightmare where somebody is calling you a terrorist sympathizer and making you, literally, fear for your life and your safety,” Srinivasan told The New York Times in an interview on Friday.
Srinivasan's legal troubles began last year when she was arrested outside Columbia University. On the same day pro-Palestinian protesters occupied Hamilton Hall, she was caught in a police crackdown while trying to pass through a crowd after a picnic with friends.
Read: Cat left behind, last-minute flight: How Columbia student Ranjani Srinivasan fled US
Although she wasn’t involved in the protest, the police pushed her as she walked through the scene and arrested her, The New York Times report added.
She was briefly detained and issued two summonses, one for obstructing traffic and the other for refusing to disperse. Her case was dismissed shortly after, and she did not face any criminal charges, as confirmed by her lawyers and court documents, the report added.
Srinivasan's departure from the US to Canada follows an escalating crackdown on foreign nationals linked to last year’s pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Fearing for her safety after her student visa was revoked, she made a swift decision to leave the country.
The Trump administration has often linked participation in campus protests against Israel's actions in Gaza with support for Hamas. Columbia University, home to many international students, including from India, has become a central focus in the government's efforts to clamp down on campus activism.
