Feb. 1: Terming the move by US law enforcement authorities to radio-tag Indian students of the Tri-Valley University, California, as “inhumane and unacceptable in a civilised world”, BJP state president Pon Radhakrishanan on Tuesday called on the Centre to immediately intervene and rescue the affected students.

“The news that ankle monitors have been fixed on students of the university has shocked Indians all over the world. Action of this kind would not be accepted if it was meted out to animals,” Mr Radhakrishnan said. “This has caused immense agony to the Indian students concerned,” he said, adding that the radio-tagging was an insult to Indians at large.

The US move, he said, “showed the extent of respect” America has for India and Indians. “India should not stop with condemning the incident but take immediate steps to rescue the students and help them secure admissions in Indian universities,” he added.

Earlier in the day, over 70 BJP members led by state vice president Tamilisai Soundararajan were taken into custody when they attempted to stage an agitation in front of the US embassy here to condemn the US government. Among those arrested was state secretary Vanathi Srinivasan. The BJP members put shackles on their legs to symbolically highlight the “disrespect shown to Indians.”