Foreign students marks under police scanner

There are around 20,000 foreign students in the city. Recently,Pune police had deported a foreign student who had been failing repeatedly and had developed relations with an unmarried Indian girl,leading to her pregnancy,police sources said.

The special branch of the Pune police is believed to have spread a network across colleges to gauge the academic performance of such students. Activities of those performing poorly would be under watch.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (special branch) Makrand Ranade said,“In the last six months,we have deported about 25 foreigners and given leave India notices to about 50 more. We found their presence undesirable.”

“We welcome foreign students to Pune. But they should follow rules. Those coming on student visa are supposed to study. If they are not concentrating on studies and getting involved in any act that violates visa rules,we may issue leave India notices against them,” Ranade said.

Police also deported some foreign students found involved in suspicious activities. In August,the police deported Mostafa Safavi,a research student from Iran,who,while studying at the University of Pune,was found collecting information on a Pune-based company.

Police suspected that he was spying and hence he was sent back to Iran. Safavi had been doing a PhD on ‘Managing Crime in e-world’ at the UoP. The Pune police sought his information from UoP after receiving inputs on his alleged spying. It is being probed as to how he managed to get the research visa for PhD.

In 2009,a Sudanese student was found studying graduation course in a city college for 19 years. Police had deported Hasan Mohammed (age 42) who came to Pune in 1990,took admission for first year arts (statistics) at a prominent college in Camp area and in 2009,was found to be studying in the third year of the same course.

A senior police officer said,“Every year about 8,000 new foreign students take admissions at 75 to 80 colleges/ educational institutions in the city. We do not disturb genuine foreign nationals studying or working sincerely. But there are miscreants who don’t want to return to their nation after visa expiry. So it is necessary to keep a check on their movements and academical records from the beginning and take action before any of them cause any damage to the country.” On December 4,Pune police had detained 17-year-old Nigerian national Ismail Khadus Jalil,who,while driving a motorcycle without licence,knocked down a constable on duty in Kondhwa area. Police said Jalil was a pursuing a course at a Kondhwa college. He came to Pune on student visa that expired,yet he stayed on.

R K Shevgaonkar,Vice-Chancellor,UoP said,“We give admission to foreign students following proper procedure. There are cases of some students overstaying. But these things are not under our control.”

Shevgaonkar said,”We are planning quotas for different countries. So that imbalance of students from different countries is brought down and there is more equitable distribution of students.”