A university in New York has been accused of chilling constitutionally protected speech by demanding a meeting with a student who engaged in a legal activity that was shown in a photo on Twitter.

Long Island University's treatment of student Anand Venigalla was spotlighted by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

His "offense" was taking part in an event sponsored by Cabela's, the popular outdoor sporting goods chain.

He was photographed legally holding unloaded firearms at an off-campus event.

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For that, LIU officials told Venigalla it was "imperative" that he meet with them.

When FIRE asked why a student was being investigated for legal activities, the school denied it was an investigation.

FIRE, however, remained unconvinced, and asked university officials to acknowledge that a mandatory administrative meeting about "non-threatening social media posts" suppresses free-speech rights.

"We remain concerned that summoning students to formal meetings to discuss protected expression will lead them to reasonably believe they are under investigation," FIRE told the university.

"As FIRE explained in our last letter, an investigation of constitutionally protected speech can itself violate the First Amendment."

As a private university, LIU is not legally bound by the First Amendment, but it is required to keep promises of free expression it has made to students over the years.

FIRE cited LIU claims that Venigalla "might have violent intentions" because of unidentified "statements."

And how, FIRE asked, did the university determine that the "nature of" those concerns makes a mandatory meeting "entirely appropriate and responsible."

"If Vengalla's mandatory meeting with a student-conduct administrator was not an 'investigation,' then what was it?"

Further, FIRE asked, if there were serious concerns about Venigalla, why was law enforcement not involved? And how did the accusations about his "statements" come to the attention of officials?

"FIRE asks again that LIU Post explain whether it regularly calls students into meetings to explain their protected expression, the circumstances under which administrators initiated this meeting, and the circumstances under which administrators obtained and reviewed Venigall's November 2017 reflection paper."

"By calling in a student for a mandatory meeting about photos of his participation in a recreational gun event, Long Island University has sent a message to its entire student body: Watch what you say," said Senior Program Officer Sarah McLaughlin. "Universities that promise to protect free speech should not hold mandatory meetings for students who engage in it."