Chandigarh, 6 February 2025: Congress MP Manish Tewari condemned the treatment of Indian immigrants deported from the United States, calling their handcuffing and shackling “absolutely inhuman.”
A US military aircraft, carrying 104 deportees from Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh, arrived in Amritsar on Wednesday.
The group was the first batch of Indians expelled under the Donald Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Jaspal Singh, one of the deportees, recounted their ordeal, saying they remained handcuffed and chained throughout the journey, with restrictions even on using the toilet. The restraints were removed only upon landing.
“This is absolutely inhuman,” Tewari said.
“They weren’t allowed to use the toilet for 40 hours. What is their crime? They sought a better life. They did it illegally, but that doesn’t make them criminals who deserve to be bound hand and foot, treated worse than animals.”
Taking aim at the Centre, he questioned the effectiveness of India’s diplomatic engagements. “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?”
The deportation came just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington for talks with President Trump.
