Opposition MPs protested on Thursday in Parliament, demanding a discussion regarding the recent deportation of over 100 Indian nationals from the United States.
Several MPs, including Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, were seen participating in the protest, wearing handcuffs to highlight their concerns.
Aujla voiced his criticism, stating, “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 back.”
Aujla further explained, “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 this.”
Along with Aujla, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav, and other leaders joined the protest outside Parliament, also wearing handcuffs. They claimed that the deported Indians had been subjected to inhumane treatment.
The protesters carried placards reading “humans, not prisoners.”
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said, "Those who were showing the dream of making India Vishwaguru, why are they silent now? Indian citizens are deported to India by being handcuffed like slaves and in inhumane conditions. What the external affairs ministry is doing? What did the govt do to protect children and women from this disrespect? We want the government to reply to this and allow the opposition to discuss the issue in parliament..."
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned why Prime Minister Modi allowed the situation to unfold, saying, “A lot of things were said that President Trump and PM Modi are very good friends. Why did PM Modi let this happen? Couldn't we have sent our own aircraft to bring them back? Is this how humans are behaved with? That they are sent back handcuffed and shackled?... EAM and PM should answer.”
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi also expressed his disappointment with the treatment, saying, “I am very disappointed with this conduct of the American government. America and India share good relations, but the manner in which they have sent back more than 100 Indian nationals handcuffed and their feet shackled in a military plane is absolutely inhumane. I am surprised that the PM is silent. Why is MEA silent?... I think MEA and PM should make a statement about this.”
Congress has submitted an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha, urging a discussion on the deportation issue. The motion states, “This House must urgently address the issue to prevent further dehumanisation of our people and to uphold the dignity of every Indian, both at home and abroad.”
The Lok Sabha was adjourned until 2 pm due to the ruckus over the issue. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that he would address the Rajya Sabha on the matter at 2 pm.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "It’s not the first time we’ve had people deported. It’s just that the media has suddenly woken up to this story because Mr. Trump has done it a bit quicker than people expected. But last year, under the Biden Administration, over 1,100 Indians were deported back.”
Tharoor added, “If you are in the US illegally, the US has the right to deport you, and if your identity as an Indian is confirmed, then India has an obligation to accept you. So, in both cases, there really isn't much debate. However, it wasn’t good to hear that they were brought back forcibly in a military plane, handcuffed, and so on. That was quite unnecessary. It should have been enough to put them on a commercial aircraft or civilian plane and send them back. If you want to do a mass deportation, do it on civilian charters. That would have been the more humane thing to do. They may have broken your laws by entering your country, but by and large, they have no bad intentions.”
Tharoor further tweeted, "There were 1100 Indians deported in the previous fiscal year (ending September 2024), under Biden, not Trump. 2. As of 2022, there were 725,000 undocumented Indian immigrants in the US - the third-largest group, outnumbered only by nationals of Mexico and El Salvador. 3. Since October 2020, US Customs and Border Protection officials have detained nearly 170,000 Indian migrants attempting to cross the border illegally from either Canada or Mexico. They are all subject to deportation."
A US Embassy spokesperson addressed the situation on Tuesday, stating that specific details could not be shared. The spokesperson emphasized, "The United States is vigorously enforcing its border and immigration laws." They added, "These actions send a clear message: illegal migration is not worth the risk."
