A plane carrying 119 Indian deportees from the United States landed at Amritsar airport on Saturday. The deportation forms part of the US government’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

According to officials, 67 of the deportees hail from Punjab, while 33 belong to Haryana. Others include eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

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Punjab Government Assists Deportees

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann paid a visit to Amritsar airport during the day and ensured the deportees of government help. “Our vehicles are here to take them to their destination,” he maintained. The Punjab government has provided for taking back Punjab citizens among the deportees to their localities.

The third flight, carrying 157 deported Indian citizens, is also likely to land on Sunday, PTI has reported based on unidentified officials.

Allegations of Brutality in Deportation

Indian deportees commenced their arrival with the first contingent reaching Amritsar on 5 February when a US Air Force aircraft transporting 104 Indian nationals touched down at the Amritsar airport. Most of the deportees complained that during the flight, their hands and legs were cuffed and were opened only after they arrived in India.

These charges evoked nationwide indignation, with the opposition asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise the issue in Washington during his tour of the US. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge denounced the way the deportees were treated, saying they were treated “even worse than rubbish.”

In the wake of countrywide outrage, the Indian government expressed its dismay over the way deported Indian nationals were treated in the US.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann Slams Centre

Before the arrival of the plane, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann condemned the Central government for letting US deportation flights land in Amritsar. He asked the Centre to refrain from making the holy city a “deport centre.”

“Do not make our holy city (Amritsar) a deport centre. There are numerous airbases in the country, and the flight can be landed at any one of them,” Mann said.

Pointing to the importance of the city, he said, “Amritsar is famous for the Golden Temple, Durgiana Mandir, Ram Tirath temple, Jallianwala Bagh, and Gobindgarh Fort. Will they accept landing (of deportation flights) at Vatican City if they (deportees) originate from there?”

The drama continues to unfold, with more deportation flights set to arrive in the coming days.