A third US plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants landed at Amritsar airport in Punjab on Sunday (February 16).
According to reports, the plane is carrying 112 deportees, mostly from the north Indian state of Haryana.
According to media reports, out of the 112 deportees, 44 are from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, 31 from Punjab, two from Uttar Pradesh, and one each from Himachal and Uttarakhand.
On Saturday (February 15), the second US military flight carrying 117 people had arrived at the airport. Of those deportees, most were from the state of Punjab.
The first such flight landed in India on February 5, amid the ongoing anti-immigration efforts by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
The issue of deportation by the US has caused massive uproar in India, mainly in political corridors, owing to alleged ‘mistreatment’ by US authorities.
People who arrived in India on Saturday on board the second military flight their ordeal upon landing at Punjab’s Amritsar airport.
“Our legs were chained, and hands were also cuffed,” Daljit Singh, one of the deportees, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. Another deportee, Sourav, confirmed that their legs were chained throughout the journey.
This came even after Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar claimed last week he would engage with US authorities to ensure that the deportees are not mistreated on their way back home.
“…We are engaging the US government to ensure the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner,” he had said.
Some opposition lawmakers in India had asked PM Narendra Modi to raise the matter with Donald Trump during his visit to the White House a few days back.
Congress leader P Chidambaram said the Saturday’s flight would be a “test” for Indian diplomacy after Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said he would raise the matter with American authorities.
“All eyes will be on the US aircraft which will land today in Amritsar bringing back illegal immigrants. Will the deportees be handcuffed and their legs tied with ropes?” Chidambaram wrote on X. “It is a test for Indian diplomacy.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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Third US military flight with illegal Indian immigrants lands at Amritsar airport
