"When that happened, they pinned him down."
The Indian Consulate in New York has contacted US authorities after footage emerged of an Indian student being pinned down and handcuffed at Newark Airport.
The videos, posted by Indian-American entrepreneur Kunal Jain, appeared to show the man in visible distress.
Mr Jain claimed the young man was crying and speaking in Haryanvi.
Mr Jain said he was at the scene and tagged the Indian Embassy in Washington DC and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in his posts.
He claimed that US officials were wrongly attempting to label the man “mentally unfit.”
In response, the Indian Consulate in New York said:
“We have come across social media posts claiming that an Indian national is facing difficulties at Newark Liberty International Airport.
“We are in touch with local authorities in this regard.
“The Consulate remains committed to the welfare of Indian nationals.”
Mr Jain described the encounter as heartbreaking.
He wrote on X: “I witnessed a young Indian student being deported from Newark Airport last night – handcuffed, crying, treated like a criminal.
“As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken.”
Watch the Footage. Warning – Disturbing Images
This poor kids parent won’t know what’s happening to him. @IndianEmbassyUS @DrSJaishankar he was to be boarded last night in the same flight with me but he never got boarded. Someone needs to find out what’s going on with him at New Jersey authorities. I found him disoriented. pic.twitter.com/kpMiy9Trsp
— Kunal Jain (@SONOFINDIA) June 8, 2025
Mr Jain also said that the individual appeared “visibly disoriented and violent”, which prompted airport police to intervene.
He said: “The reason I think he was pinned down is that he was a little violent, and he was feeling disoriented.
“I don’t know why he was disoriented. What happens when there is a violent person, they are not allowed on the plane.
“So, the officials called the pilot, he said we can’t take him on the plane because he’s a threat to other passengers.
“When that happened, they pinned him down.”
Authorities have not confirmed the identity of the man or whether he was allowed to leave the airport.
Mr Jain recalled that the student’s treatment drew no response from onlookers.
He said there were “around 50 people waiting for the flight, but no one dared to say anything to the immigration officials”.
He added: “The worst part was when the other police officials came, at least seven to eight, they emptied the whole queue, and they tied his legs and hands and held him.
“At that moment, I literally started crying. Why did they do that, and so publicly.”
He called the incident a “human tragedy”.
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