A flight with 116 Indian deportees from America arrived at Amritsar Airport on Saturday, contributing to the current controversy regarding immigration policies. This was the second batch of deportees brought back under the Trump administration’s stringent deportation policy and the first since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to America. It was hoped that deportations would be better following his meeting with US President Donald Trump, but things turned out otherwise.
Sikh Deportees Refused Turbans
Among deportees, a number of Sikh migrants have reported being refused to wear their turbans during detention in the US. Social media videos showed Sikh deportees without turbans when they were cleared through immigration protocols at Amritsar airport. One deportee, Jaswinder Singh, shared his account, saying he was not allowed to wear his turban for almost 20 days while in US custody.
He explained, “The moment I was arrested on January 27 and brought to the detention centre, they told me to take off all my clothes, including my turban. We were permitted to keep on only a T-shirt, a lower, socks, and shoes. They also took away our shoelaces. I and other Sikh youths requested them to at least give back our turbans, but they did not agree.”. They asked, ‘Who is going to take the blame if one of you hangs self to death?'” Singh further stated, “During all the days we spent in the detention centre, we were not permitted to wear a turban.
Only after arriving at Amritsar airport did I receive my baggage and tied my head with a parna (a cloth piece worn by Sikh men to cover their heads).”
The 116 deportees came from Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir, of whom 67 came from Punjab.
Sikh Organizations Condemn Actions
The viral pictures of turbans-less Sikh deportees have enraged Sikh organizations and political figures, especially. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) criticized the US authorities for this move, calling it a blow to Sikh identity. SGPC General Secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal lamented, saying, “It is a matter of regret that Sikh deportees were not permitted to wear turbans.”
He added, “At the time when PM Narendra Modi met US President Donald Trump, he should have raised such an issue. Unless the Indian government does this, the SGPC will raise this issue with the US government. Turban is a component of a Sikh.” SGPC representatives, who had gone to Amritsar airport to offer services for deportees, provided turbans to Sikh migrants.
Bikram Singh Majithia, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader, also rebuked the Punjab government for its silence on the issue. He posted on social media, “Bhagwant Mann and his ministers are playing to the gallery over deporting youth from the US. But shockingly and shamelessly they remain mum over bringing Sikh youth bare head without turbans. Not a word on this big issue.”
He called on the Ministry of External Affairs to forthwith take up the issue with the US authorities so that such incidents would not recur in the future.
Women and Children Treated Differently
Unlike earlier deportation flights, wherein women and children were said to have been shackled, this latest batch of deportees wasn’t subjected to the same condition. According to a PTI report, the 116 deportees who flew into Amritsar weren’t restrained, as was the case with the deportation flight on February 5. During the flight in February, several detainees had alleged that they were shackled throughout the course of the long journey, enjoying only brief interludes in between for bathroom breaks.
The ill-treatment of Indian immigrants during deportation aroused criticism, and the Opposition was calling for Prime Minister Modi to bring it up during his trip to Washington. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge rebuked the government for sitting on its hands, saying deportees were dealt with ‘worse than trash’.
After the outrage in India, New Delhi expressed its concerns to America. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri recognized the issue, adding, “We do make our concerns known to the United States that this kind of treatment can perhaps be avoided… We will continue to take up any instances of mistreatment that come to our attention.”
Continuing Deportations
Up to now, the US has deported 332 illegal Indian immigrants in three flights. The latest flight on Sunday had 112 deportees, of whom 19 were women and 14 were children, with most hailing from Haryana, Gujarat, and Punjab.
It is not a new issue that is being discussed. It continues to evoke strong responses in India, particularly with regard to how Sikh deportees are treated and the US government’s deportation policy.
