KOCHI: A group of 127 Indian prisoners deported from Bahrain under a general amnesty were brought to Kochi by a special Gulf Air flight on Sunday night. The deportees were shifted to a quarantine facility arranged by the Southern Naval Command at the School of Naval Airmen at Kochi Naval Base after medical screening. One of the passengers was admitted to the Ernakulam Medical College due to suspected symptoms of COVID-19.
According to sources, the Indian citizens were incarcerated at a detention centre in Bahrain for violation of visa rules. They were arrested by Bahrain police for not holding proper documents including work permits.
After the Bahrain government decided to give them general amnesty, they were deported and sent to Kochi by a special aircraft. Among the deportees, 51 are Keralites while 76 hail from other states.
Sources said these people had gone to Bahrain in search of jobs and could not obtain proper work permits which led to their detention. They will not be able to apply for a fresh visa to Bahrain as they have been deported.
The deportees were shifted from Kochi airport to the School of Naval Airmen in a KSRTC bus by the district administration. The Union government had issued a directive to quarantine the deportees at Kochi Naval Base, where they would be regularly monitored by trained naval health professionals.
After the mandatory 14 days quarantine period, the deportees would be handed over to state agencies for transfer to their homes. There will not be any legal action against the deportees as they have been provided general amnesty by Bahrain.
The Navy had arranged a 200-bed quarantine facility at Kochi Naval Base in March which was being used as a transit quarantine camp for naval personnel returning to Kochi for duty after leave. The camp is being managed by trained naval doctors and personnel from the Southern Naval Command.