CHANDIGARH: A political storm has erupted over the treatment of 104 Indian youths deported from the United States, as they were reportedly handcuffed and shackled throughout their journey. They were only unshackled upon landing at Amritsar airport.
Expressing outrage, politicians from across party lines in Punjab condemned the act as a violation of human rights and demanded that the Union government take up the matter with the US authorities.
Speaking to TNIE, members of Parliament expressed their anguish over the incident.
Former Chief Minister and Congress MP from Jalandhar, Charanjit Singh Channi, called the treatment "inhuman" and a violation of human rights. "The youth were chained and deported in a military aircraft. It is totally inhuman treatment meted out by the US authorities. We will take up this matter in Parliament and urge the central government to raise it with the US government. If these youth went to the US to earn a living, they have not committed any crime—why are they being treated like this? Even during Donald Trump’s last tenure, Indian nationals were deported in a similar manner."
Congress MP from Amritsar, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, questioned the humiliation of Indian youth, stating, "Why were they handcuffed and brought back? We checked—when illegal immigrants from other countries were deported from the US, they were not handcuffed. Why such treatment for our youth? The Union government must provide a detailed explanation."
He also raised concerns over the choice of landing location, stating, "Why was the plane allowed to land in Amritsar and not Delhi? The Centre intentionally wants to portray Punjab in a bad light."
Aujla added, "The issue will be raised in Parliament for a serious discussion. Despite being well aware of the adverse circumstances, Indian youth look for greener pastures abroad only after struggling to find jobs here."
He further emphasised that most of the deportees were between the ages of 20 and 30, and a majority came from poor backgrounds. "The government should not shy away from accepting its failure. I am not in favour of monetary compensation, but I urge both the Centre and state governments to provide them with job opportunities according to their capacity and calibre so they can settle here."
Senior Congress leader and MP from Chandigarh, Manish Tewari, condemned the treatment, calling it "medieval." He said, "It is absolutely inhuman to handcuff and shackle people, not even allowing them to use the toilet for 40 hours while deporting them. What is their crime? They went looking for a better life. Yes, they did it illegally, but that does not make them criminals who need to be bound hand and foot and treated worse than animals."
Tewari also questioned the Centre’s stance, stating, "What is the point of all those summits with @realDonaldTrump if @PMOIndia & @DrSJaishankar cannot ensure that our countrymen are not treated in the most humiliating and degrading manner?"
A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal immigrants from various states landed in Amritsar on Wednesday—the first such batch of Indians deported under Donald Trump’s latest crackdown on illegal immigration. The US action came just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington for talks with President Trump.
AAP MP from Anandpur Sahib, Malvinder Singh Kang, also condemned the US authorities, saying, "The way the US deported Indian nationals in handcuffs has dented the country’s image and projected us in a negative light across the world. This is a clear violation of human rights, and such treatment should not have been given to our youth. What is their fault? They simply went to the US and have committed no crime."
Kang added, "AAP MPs, along with Samajwadi Party MPs, have raised this issue in Parliament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls US President Donald Trump his friend—he should take up the issue personally and lodge a protest against such treatment."
He also questioned the decision to land the flight in Amritsar. "Why was Punjab shown in a bad light? The flight carried youth from Gujarat and Haryana as well, yet it was made to land in Amritsar. The number of deportees from Gujarat was higher than those from Punjab, so the flight should have ideally landed in Delhi or Ahmedabad."
Punjab AAP president and state cabinet minister Aman Arora echoed these concerns. "To handcuff and deport youth back to our country is totally absurd and a violation of human rights. This is not acceptable. When the deportees were from across the country, why was Amritsar chosen as the landing location? This question is on everyone’s mind," he said.
