AI refers to MEA US communication on varsities under scrutiny

Air India has referred to the External Affairs Ministry the communication from American authorities about two universities there being under "scrutiny" that prompted it to bar 19 students from boarding its flight to San Fransisco so they were not "inconvenienced".
"We have referred the matter to the External Affairs Ministry, who are taking it up with the US authorities," an Air India official today said.
The state-run carrier had on Sunday night stopped 19 Indian students heading to the two US universities from boarding a San Fransisco-bound flight citing a communication from US Customs and Border Protection agency which also said 14 Indian students had already been deported as these institutions were "under scrutiny".

The official further said Air India will accept students of the two universities- Silicon Valley University and Northwestern Polytechnic College- on its flights to San Francisco only when they got the go ahead from its US Office.
"We don't want these students to be tormented," the official added.
However, citing US Customs and Border Protection Agency, the two universities had claimed yesterday that they had not been blacklisted by the US government or any of its agencies.

They said there was increased security and questioning at the port of entry in view of the recent terrorist attacks.
"Air India received communication on December 19, 2015 from the US Customs and Border Protection agency that two universities namely Silicon Valley, San Jose, California and North Western Polytechnic College, Fremont, CA are under scrutiny and students who arrived into San Francisco were not allowed to enter the US and were deported back to India," an Air India statement had said yesterday.

Following receipt of the communication, Air India did not allow 19 San Fransisco-bound students who had secured admission to these institutions to board the flight and decided not to accept them onboard till the time it got clearance from Air India's US office for their travel.
The statement said so far 14 students who travelled on Air India flights to San Francisco have been deported.
"Considering the situation, as a precautionary measure and to avoid inconvenience, students booked for travel to take admission to these universities are not being accepted on Air India flights," the statement said.