Indian Student From Coimbatore Arrested, Banned From US University Over Anti-Israel Protests On Campus

Achinthya Sivalingan faces disciplinary action and has been barred from the campus for pro-palestine protests, a university spokesperson confirmed.

Indian-origin student Achinthya Sivalingam, hailing from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, has been arrested and banned from Princeton University in the US. This action follows her participation in a student-led pro-Palestine encampment protest on campus grounds. The arrest, which took place alongside another student, Hassan Sayed, occurred after the students defied warnings and set up tents in the University’s McCosh Courtyard. The incident took place amidst widespread protests at prominent US universities against the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

The two graduate students were arrested for trespassing and have been “immediately barred from the campus”, said Jennifer Morrill, a university spokesperson. They also face disciplinary action. According to reports, Sivalingam is a student of Masters in Public Affairs in International Development at Princeton while Sayed is a PhD candidate there.

The protest initially involved around 110 individuals, but the numbers swelled to approximately 300 as the day progressed. Despite the arrests prompting the protesters to dismantle their tents, they continued their demonstration through a sit-in.

The development underscores the ongoing tensions and activism surrounding the Israel-Palestine issue on university campuses, reflecting a broader global concern for the conflict’s impact and the solidarity movements it has inspired.