New Delhi: Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, has been detained in the US due to alleged links to . However, his family and friends in India are rallying behind him, insisting he's done nothing wrong and should not be deported.

Suri's father, a retired food officer from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, defended his son, saying he was unfairly targeted because of his wife's Palestinian heritage. He emphasized that Suri has no links to any political activity and is innocent. The senior Suri also questioned the justification for his son's detention, stating that being a Palestinian is not a crime.

Suri's detention comes amid a crackdown on individuals and organizations perceived to be supporting Hamas. The US Department of Justice has formed a task force, Joint Task Force October 7 (JTF 10-7), to prosecute Hamas leaders and investigate those suspected of providing material support to the group. Universities across the US have also seen increasing scrutiny of pro-Palestinian activism, with disciplinary actions, suspensions, and arrests of students involved in protests. Over 2,000 individuals have reportedly been detained in recent weeks during demonstrations on college campuses.

Those who know Suri have expressed concerns about his detention. A close friend described Suri as a family man who juggles work and family responsibilities, leaving him no time for political activity. The friend also pointed out that Suri's wife, Mapheze Saleh, has a background in conflict analysis and peacebuilding. They met in Gaza in 2011, where Suri was part of an international convoy showing solidarity with Palestine. Saleh worked as a translator in Gaza and later pursued her studies at Jamia Millia Islamia. Her father was once an advisor to Hamas but resigned long ago and has not been politically active for 10-12 years.

Suri's PhD supervisor, Sujit Dutta, described him as an outstanding student with no history of political involvement. Saleh is a first-year student at Georgetown University's Centre for Contemporary Arab Studies. She has worked as a researcher at the Qatar embassy in New Delhi, executive director at the Indo-Pal Foundation, and contributing writer for the Middle East Monitor, Al Jazeera, and various Palestinian media outlets. She has also worked with the ministry of foreign affairs in Gaza.

The detention of Badar Khan Suri has sparked concerns about the targeting of Palestinians and those who speak out in support of their rights. As a scholar analyzing conflict resolution, Suri's work is critical of certain issues, but this does not make him complicit in political activity or a supporter of any group.