The Congress Thursday urged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to take steps for setting free Indian students detained in America for enrolling in a fake university there.
In a letter to Swaraj, AICC spokesperson Sravan Dasoju said even more than a month since their detention, the students had neither been produced in a court nor allowed to post a bond and get released.
"They are being punished much before the crime is proved in the courts of law," he said in the letter, copies of which were marked to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, TRS working president K T Rama Rao and and US Consul General here Katherine B Hadda.
Those detained belong to middle class families, he said alleging that the students were being subjected to severe harassment and deprived of even quality food.
One-hundred-thirty foreign students, largely Indians, including Telugus, were arrested by US authorities on January 30 for enroling at a fake university allegedly to remain in the US.
Soon after the arrest, India has sought consular access to its students and has impressed upon the Trump administration the need to address the situation at the earliest.
The Congress spokesperson requested Swaraj to have a dialogue with the Federal government in the United States and take steps to rescue the students.
A special team from the Indian government be deputed to the United States and ensure that it coordinates with the US government to "smoothen the procedure", he said.
Dasoju also requested that a communication cell be set up to provide latest updates so that parents of the students are relieved of their anxiety.
In order to avoid unfortunate circumstances like this, he sought publication of a list of universities which were flagged as fake and fradulent by the federal government of America.
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