India, March 21 -- Indian students in the US must comply with local laws, the external affairs ministry said on Friday following the detention of a postdoctoral fellow in Virginia and the self-deportation of another student over activities seen as Palestinian causes.

The Indian embassy and consulates in the US will help students facing any difficulties, though the two students against whom American authorities have taken action did not reach out for assistance, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a regular media briefing.

Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, was detained by operatives of the Department of Homeland Security, reportedly for supporting the Palestinian cause, in Arlington,...