AMRITSAR, Feb 16: The Congress Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a visit to the US recently, of not conveying to his “good friend” Donald Trump about the outrage over the shackling of Indians being deported from America.
Two US military planes have landed in Amritsar this month so far, deporting Indians as part of the Trump administration’s promised crackdown on illegal migration. Another deportation flight from the US is scheduled to arrive in Amritsar on Sunday night.
Many deportees have claimed they were in shackles during the flight.
Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh referred to reports of shackling Indians deported from the United States and said, “It is abundantly clear that the PM did NOT convey to his good friend our country’s outrage at the manner in which Indian citizens are being deported from the USA. Only cowards boast of 56-inch chests.” A US military aircraft carrying 116 illegal Indian immigrants landed at Amritsar airport late on Saturday night, with the men among the deportees claiming they were in shackles during the journey and Sikh youths were allegedly without turbans.
On February 5, a US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed at the Amritsar airport. Of them, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, and 30 from Punjab.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been attacking the Centre over the landing of US planes carrying deportees at Amritsar airport. “Do not make our holy city a deport centre,” he had said. A third plane carrying 112 deportees, that include people from Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat, is expected to land at Amritsar airport late on Sunday night, official sources said.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) Sunday strongly condemned the US authorities for allegedly not allowing Sikh deportees, who were part of the second batch of illegal Indian immigrants, to wear turbans.
The statement came after some video clips on social media showed Sikh deportees without turbans completing their immigration formalities at the Amritsar airport.
SGPC officials, who were deputed for providing ‘langar’ and bus service for deportees at the Amritsar airport, gave ‘dastar’ (turban) to the Sikh deportees.
TWO DEPORTEES ARRESTED
Two youths from Rajpura in Patiala district, who were among 116 individuals deported by the US in a C-17 aircraft that landed at the Amritsar airport on Saturday night, have been arrested in connection with a murder case, police said on Sunday.
The accused, Sandeep Singh alias Sunny and Pradeep Singh, were wanted in a murder case registered in 2023, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Nanak Singh, said while confirming their arrest from the Amritsar airport.The case against Sandeep and four others was registered in Rajpura in June 2023. During investigation, the name of Pradeep, another accomplice of Sandeep, was added to the FIR.A team led by the SHO of Rajpura police station was sent to the Amritsar airport on Saturday to arrest the duo. (PTI)