Immigration News: India’s Response to Radio Tagging in TVU

Legal News India: The incident of radio tagging of students in the Tri-Valley University, San Fracisco, has triggered great anger amongst the Indian community. The Indian authorities condemned radio-tagging of the students as “unwarranted”. External Affairs Minister SM Krishna stated that “the way…students have been treated…is unacceptable.” He also reminded the US of the “tremendous stakes involved in higher education, in interaction between our two countries in higher education.”

Retaliation came from the Human Rights quarters as well. Sudhir Aggarwal, the national convener of the BJP’s human rights cell said, “The radio collars… should be removed immediately and officers who are guilty of this inhuman treatment should punished. The students should be provided legal help free of cost and…must be treated fairly and reasonably”. MP Avinash Rai Khanna, BJP’s human rights cell in-charge said, “The collars are…normally used to follow animals or criminals on parole”.

Justification from the US
The US Embassy, defending the practice of radio-tagging, said that it was a “standard procedure” for investigations which did not imply criminal activity or guilt. “An ankle monitor sends a radio frequency signal containing location and other information to a receiver. It allows for freedom of movement and is a positive alternative to confinement during a pending investigation,” elaborated the embassy. Furthermore, the US informed that the homeland security department was investigating the closure of the TVU.