Photos: 104 Indian immigrants, including women, land in India after deportation from US
A US military C-17 Globemaster military aircraft landed in Punjab's Amritsar on February 5 with 104 Indian nationals, making it the first such batch of Indians deported by the Trump government as part of immigration crackdown.
The deportation from the United States has now resulted in a huge political uproar in India. The opposition has questioned the Central government for its silence on the deportation of Indian citizens from the US, who were allegedly handcuffed and treated inhumanely.
An adjournment motion was also moved in the Lok Sabha in the ongoing Budget session of Parliament to discuss the issue. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to make a statement in the Parliament today over the issue of deportation.
Indians' deportation by US LIVE
Opposition MPs, including Lok Sabha Leader of Oppostion and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, protested outside Parliament over the deportation of alleged illegal Indian immigrants from the US issue.
In addition to this, Indian Youth Congress were also protesting against the central govt. As per ANI report, the Delhi police have detained members protesting.
A viral post circulating on social media showed that Indians were "handcuffed" and “humiliated” while on board the plane. However, the PIB Fact Check, called the video as fake.
It said, “A Fake image is being shared on social media by many accounts with a claim that illegal Indian migrants have been handcuffed and their legs chained while being deported by the US. The image being shared in these posts does not pertain to Indians. Instead, it shows those deported to Guatemala.”
Earlier, while speaking to PTI, Jaspal Singh, who was among the 104 deportees brought in the US military aircraft, also claimed that their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey and they were unshackled only after landing at the Amritsar airport.
Speaking of the numbers of the people deported, PTI reports stated that 30 of the deportees are from Punjab, 33 each are from Haryana and Gujarat, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh. According to a TOI report, of these 104 deported, 79 were men, and 25 were women.
The deportees were questioned inside the airport terminal building by different government agencies, including the Punjab Police and various state and central intelligence agencies, to check if they have any criminal record.
After completion of formalities, the deportees from Punjab and Haryana were taken to their respective hometowns in police vehicles after the completion of all formalities.
On February 6, a plane carrying 33 persons from Gujarat landed at Ahmedabad airport from Amritsar. Sources told PTI that majority of them belonged to Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Patan, Vadodara and Kheda districts.
Meanwhile, several deportees who returned to India also narrated stories of how they were betrayed by the agents. Several deportees claimed that cheating by agencts led them to take the dangerous "donkey" or "dunki" route. Some said that they sold their lands, some lost their savings, while some walked 40-45 kilometers to some claimed that crossed 17-18 hills to pursue their American dream.
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