Pratibha Singh, Himachal Pradesh Congress president, also criticized the NDA government at the Centre for deporting illegal Indian immigrants in shackles and alleged that the US administration was responsible for doing so. The Himachal Congress Chief called the incident an ‘insult to India’; demanded strong action from Indian government.
The 104 deported Indian immigrants, who were flying back home in a US military C-17 transport aircraft, touched down at Amritsar airport’s Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport on Wednesday. The deportations were branded the first batch of Indian immigrants deported under former US President Donald Trump’s aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration.
Deportees Claim They Were Shackled Throughout the Journey
Most of the deportees alleged that they were handcuffed and their legs shackled as they watched the flight. According to them, they landed in Amritsar and were only unshackled. Lovepreet, one of the deportees, formulated it thus: ‘We were woken up at 4am, told to take our passports but not to put it back in them, she although there were regular checks, apart from when we were taken to shower, they treated us like hardcore criminals, it wasn’t like being an ordinary migrant.’
“We were handcuffed and chained; we were not able to move, or interact with other deportees. Even when we asked to use the toilet, the chains around our waist and feet remained.” Lovepreet said, “We were made to sit face to face and allowed no conversation during the flight.”
It has outraged members of the opposition parties in India, who demand of the country’s government to respond to such treatment of its citizens. They believe that this could also take a toll on India’s diplomatic relations with the US, especially when it comes to immigration policies, and human rights matters.
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