Chennai: An IIT Madras foreign exchange student from Germany was reportedly asked to leave the country for participating in a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Chennai.
The student, identified as Jakob Lindenthal, is a native of Dresden, Germany and was pursuing an MSc degree in physics at IIT Madras. According to a report by TOI, Indian immigration officials and college authorities told Jakob of their decision following which he left for the airport on Monday, December 23 evening.
Amidst reports of his departure, a photograph of Jakob holding a placard at the protest was widely shared on social media. It showed him holding a sign that read “1933-1945: We have been there”, hinting at Hitler’s rule over Nazi Germany and the subsequent Jewish genocide.
In an online post, Jakob bid goodbye by saying, “I love India and the friends I made here. Many of them I will see again abroad because they dislike the authoritarian developments of the past years as well. For now, I hope to reach home safely.”
Speaking to TOI, immigration officials said that Jakob’s actions were a violation of visa norms. “Such a violation attracts deportation. We also do an inquiry,” the source added.
