Outrage in India as Sikh deportees from US not allowed to wear turbans. What happened on the flight?

A plane carrying 116 Indian deportees from the United States touched down at Amritsar airport on Saturday, marking another chapter in the ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration.

This was the second group of Indians to be sent back under the Trump administration’s strict deportation policies and the first after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the US. It was expected that following his meeting with US President Trump, deportations of illegal Indian immigrants would be handled better. But this was hardly the case. Here’s why

Sikh migrants deported from the United States have claimed they were not allowed to wear their turbans during detention.

Visuals circulating on social media showed Sikh deportees without turbans as they completed immigration formalities at Amritsar airport on Saturday. The images surfaced after a
second deportation flight carrying 116 individuals landed in India.

Jaswinder Singh, one of the deportees from this flight, described his ordeal, revealing that for nearly 20 days in US detention, he was not permitted to wear his turban.

Speaking to The Indian Express, he said, “As soon as I was detained on January 27 and taken to the detention centre, they asked me to remove all my clothes, including my turban. We were allowed to wear only a T-shirt, a lower, socks, and shoes. They also removed our shoelaces. I and other Sikh youths asked them to at least return our turbans, but they refused. They said, ‘Who will be responsible if any of you hangs self to death?’”

He further added, “For all the days we were at the detention centre, we were not allowed to wear a turban. It was only after reaching Amritsar airport that I got my luggage back and wrapped my head with a parna (a cloth worn by Sikh men to cover their heads).”

Among the 116 deportees who arrived on Saturday, 67 were from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

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The viral video of Sikh deportees without turbans has sparked sharp criticism from Sikh organisations and political leaders.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) strongly objected to the US authorities’ actions, calling it disrespectful to Sikh identity. SGPC general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal expressed disappointment, stating that is “a matter of regret” that Sikh deportees were not allowed to wear turbans.

He further said, “During his meeting with US President Donald Trump, PM Narendra Modi should have raised such concerns. If the Indian government doesn’t, the SGPC will take up the issue with the US government. Turban is a part of a Sikh.”

SGPC officials, who were deputed to provide langar (community service) and bus service for the illegal Indian immigrants at the Amritsar airport, provided turbans to the Sikh deportees.

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia lashed out at the Punjab government, criticising their silence on the issue.

He wrote on social media, “Bhagwant Mann and his ministers are playing to the gallery on the deportation of youth from the US. But shockingly and shamelessly they are silent on bringing Sikh youth bare head without turbans. Not a single word on this major issue.”

He also urged the Ministry of External Affairs to immediately take up the matter with the US authorities so that such an incident is never repeated in future.

Unlike previous deportation flights, women and children were not restrained on the latest flight that landed in Amritsar on Saturday, according to a PTI report.

This contrasts with the February 5 deportation, when a US military plane transported 104 illegal immigrants. Several deportees had then claimed they were shackled throughout the journey, with their hands and legs cuffed and only unshackled after landing in India.

Some even alleged they endured over 40 hours onboard the aircraft in restraints, only being freed temporarily for toilet breaks which required long waits in the queue as they had access to only one of the lavatories on the aircraft.

The harsh treatment of Indian migrants sparked strong criticism, particularly from the Opposition, which demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi raise the issue during his visit to Washington.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the government’s response, stating that the deportees were treated “even worse than garbage.”

Following the outcry in India, New Delhi conveyed its concerns to Washington.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri addressed the issue, saying, “We do make our concerns known to the United States that this kind of treatment can perhaps be avoided… We will continue to take up any instances of mistreatment that come to our attention.”

So far, the US has deported a total of 332 illegal Indian immigrants on three flights.

The latest third flight on Sunday had 112 deportees of whom 44 were from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, 31 from Punjab, two from Uttar Pradesh, and one each from Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Among them were 19 women and 14 minors, including two infants.