Reacting to the raging protests on American university campuses, India took a dig at the US government on "democracy", an issue that Washington regularly uses to lecture the world. "Democracies, in particular, should display this understanding in regard to other fellow democracies," the Ministry of External Affairs spokesman said on Thursday.

The spokesperson said there has to be a right balance between freedom of expression, a sense of responsibility, and public safety in every democracy.

"Democracies in particular should display this understanding in regard to other fellow democracies," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

Over 2,100 students have been arrested as students set up encampments and defied deadlines to vacate the foregrounds of top American university campuses.

However, the MEA said no Indian student or their family had approached the consulates in the US seeking assistance regarding any disciplinary action for participation in the protests.

"We expect all our citizens at home and abroad to respect local laws and regulations," said Randhir Jaiswal, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesman.

The US authorities arrested hundreds of students, as well as non-students, to quell the protests.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) arrested several non-students during the raids on encampments at Columbia University and the City University of New York (CUNY).

Mayor Eric Adams blamed "outside agitators" for sowing chaos on the college campuses, while Columbia and its leaders faced backlash for letting the situation devolve.

He claimed “outside agitators” descended on the campus as part of a “movement to radicalise young people", reported the Post.

Mayor Adams emphasised earlier on Wednesday that the takeover of Hamilton Hall "was led by individuals who were not affiliated with the university", although he admitted that some students were part of the group.