Opposition protest US deportation of Indians, several MPs sport handcuffs

Several opposition MPs on Thursday criticised the government for the way Indians who were staying illegally in the United States were deported questioning the treatment meted out to themA US military aircraft carrying over 100 illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar on Wednesday the first such batch of Indians deported by the Trump government as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants in the countryThe deportees claimed that their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey and they were unshackled only after landing at Punjabs Amritsar airportOpposition parliamentarians including Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge Rahul Gandhi Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and SP leader Akhilesh Yadav protested the treatment meted out to the Indians by US authorities by staging a protest in Parliament complexSeveral opposition members including Congress Amritsar MP Gurujit Singh Aujla were seen joining the protest sporting handcuffs on their handsAujla also voiced his concerns saying The way they were brought in was wrong They were humiliated Their hands and feet were chained When our government already knew that they were going to be deported then they should have sent a commercial flight to bring them backAujla further stated They went there illegally but they did not commit any huge crime after going there We have given a notice to the Speaker and there may be a discussion on thisAttacking the Central government Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi said the way Indians were brought back shows the weakness of the governmentThe way women were treated and brought back hand cuffed like criminals we will not tolerate the insult to the country he told reporters in Parliament complexHe alleged that for PM Modi his personal image is more important than the standing of the countryIt is a black day the prime minister is silent he addedAmid criticism by the opposition Union minister Chirag Paswan said the government will put forth its views at an appropriate time It is a policy decision and it should not be politicised by the opposition he saidMeanwhile AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi said as per a report are still 675000 Indian immigrants in the United States and 18000 people are on the final listAccording to the Pew Research 2022 report there are still 675000 undocumented Indian immigrants in the USA and 18000 people are still on the final list When all these people return it will impact remittances as well The government must also address what it will do for them Owaisi told reportersBJP leaders keep saying that Modi ji has elevated Indias name and made it a superpower but what is happening now Why are they being brought back in such a disrespectful manner he questioned furtherThe AIMIM Chief also highlighted that the incident has reflected the level of unemployment among the Indian youthsThis reflects the level of unemployment among the youth in India 45 per cent of the youth are unemployed This is why these people are lured by agents endure hardships and cross 810 countries to reach their destination The government will have to answer why there is so much unemployment Asaduddin Owaisi saidEarlier both the houses faced adjournment on Thursday after Opposition held a protest demanding a discussion on the deportation of Indian nationals who were allegedly illegally living in the StatesExternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a statement in Rajya Sabha at 2 pm over the issueHe said We are of course engaging the US government to ensure the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner during the flightAt the same time the House will appreciate that our focus should be on strong crackdown on the illegal migration industry while taking steps to ease visas for the legitimate travellers he addedThe minister also stated that the process of deportation is not a new oneThe standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft provides for the use of restraints However we have been informed that women and children are not restrained he saidFurther need of deportees during transit related to food and other necessities including possible medical emergencies are attended to During toilet breaks deportees are temporarily unrestrained if needed This is applicable to chartered civilian aircraft as well as military aircraft he saidWith Agency inputs