In a major relief to the protesting Indian students in Canada, the deportation of 700 Indian students has been put on hold until further notice. The Government of Canada has decided to hold the deportation of 700 Indian students at the request of Aam Aadmi Party MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney who is also the International President of the World Punjabi Organization.
The Indian students, mostly from Punjab, are facing deportation after the authorities in Canada found “admission offer letters” to educational institutions to be fake. The matter came to light in March when these students applied for permanent residency in Canada.
Deportation of 700 Indian students on hold
Sahney on Friday said that the government of Canada has decided to put on hold the deportation of 700 Indian students. "We have written to them and we have explained to them that these students have not done any forgery or fraud. They are victims of fraud because some unauthorised agents issued fake admission letters and receipts of payments. Visas were also applied without any checking. Then when the children reached there, the immigration dept also allowed them to enter," Vikram Sahney said. "The students have done no mistake. They are also victims of fraud," he added.
The students were duped by Brijesh Mishra, a Jalandhar-based consultant, who sent them to Canada on the basis of fake offer letters from prominent colleges and universities.
Punjab Minister seeks Centre's intervention
Earlier, Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldip Singh Dhaliwal sought the intervention of External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar in the matter. In a letter to Jaishankar, Dhaliwal also sought time to meet him over the issue. "I have also sought time to meet EAM so that the whole matter can be brought to the attention of the GOI personally," Dhaliwal said.
In the letter to the EAM, Dhaliwal said, “These (700) students are innocent and have been cheated by the clique of fraudsters…”. Dhaliwal wrote, “I shall be highly grateful if you again look into the matter personally and take up the matter with concerned agencies including High Commission of Canada and government of Canada so that these students can be saved from being deported.”
Dhaliwal also appealed to the people of Punjab that before going abroad or sending their children for studies, the details of the college and the record of the travel agent must be checked.
(With ANI inputs)
