Bengaluru: The Bangalore Police has prepared a list of 1500 African nationals who are staying in the country without a valid visa.
The police have said that it will deport the students by July end. The crackdown against students who have jumped their visa stay was initiated after African nationals were caught in narcotics drug trade recently.
Police records reveal that out of the 6000 African students studying in Bengaluru, more than 1500 are staying without valid visas. The list has also been submitted to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
"We have already deported 50 students last week. And we are planning to deport 1500 of them by this month end. You must have seen that in recent days there were many incidents of African nationals involved in trafficking. We prepared a list and found out that high number of them are staying even though their visa has expired," P Harishekaran Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Bengaluru East said.
With the police set to deport the African nationals, activists are calling it nothing short of witch-hunt.
The lawyer representing the African students claims they are mostly students and not criminals as is being considered by the police.
The activists also added that the students are victims of bureaucracy and are forced to stay because either their visas are not extended by FRRO’s (Foreigners Regional Registration Office) or their colleges refuse to issue bona fide certificates due to several reasons. They also claim that it is mostly due to delay or non-payment of fees because of which they cannot apply for extension of visa.
Darshana Mithra of Alternative Lawyers Forum said that these are students who are mostly in their third and fourth year and if deported, it will end their career.
"The Indian Missions in African nations do not issue visas again to students who are deported. I get minimum of five cases every month. Recently, I got 40 students of one particular college who had approached us saying that their college is not issuing bona fide certificates because of which they cannot apply for extension of visa," he said.
However, Bangalore police dismissed the allegations and said that the African students should blame themselves for their plight.
"If they are not getting bona fide certificates or not able to get an extension of visa from FRRO office. I have set up a Bangalore police. African students committee will co-ordinate and look into this issue. I had told them they can approach us and we will solve their issue. However, they are afraid to come forward as they feel we will dig up their criminal past," Harishekaran said.
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