On February 15, a plane transporting American Indians who have been deported is scheduled to land in Amritsar, according to reports. A third set of deported Indians may then be transported by a subsequent flight that lands in India. The Punjab government has been notified of this decision, according to sources.
Another wave of undocumented migrants is expected to be sent to India by the United States shortly. The flight carrying the deported Indians is scheduled to arrive in Amritsar on February 15, according to sources. A third group of people who have been deported may be transported by a future flight. A briefing on the subject has already been given to the Punjab government.
An American military aircraft carrying 104 deported migrants had already touched down in Amritsar on February 5. During the presidency of Donald Trump, this was one of the biggest deportation campaigns. There is disagreement around the choice to land the aircraft in Amritsar.
Harpal Cheema, the finance minister for Punjab, charged that the central government, which is governed by the BJP, is specifically targeting Punjab. “The government wants to damage Punjab’s reputation by making sure the deportation flight lands in Amritsar,” Cheema said.
Why not Gujarat or Haryana?
The BJP is obviously trying to damage Punjab’s reputation with this. Ahmedabad is where the plane ought to have touched down. In a prior confirmation, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated that the United States had informed India about 487 prospective Indian citizens who had received deportation orders. According to the deportees, who allegedly tried to enter the US illegally, they were treated cruelly while travelling. The shackles were only taken off after landing, and they claimed to have been shackled by their wrists and feet the whole journey. In response to worries about abuse, Misri admitted the problem and promised that the Indian government will bring it up with US officials.
Speaking to the Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that the United States has been deporting Indian immigrants for years. 15,668 undocumented Indian immigrants have been deported since 2009. He underlined that although the deportation procedure is not new, the government is nevertheless dedicated to making sure its residents are treated fairly.
