India strongly registered its protests with US on handling of deportees: Centre in LS
New Delhi: India has raised strong concerns with US authorities over the treatment of deportees on a flight that landed on February 5, particularly regarding the use of shackles, including on women, the government informed Parliament on Friday.
In a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh stated, “The ministry has strongly registered its concerns with the US authorities on the treatment meted out to deportees on the flight that landed on 5th February, particularly with respect to use of shackles, especially on women.”
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also highlighted the need to ensure the religious sensitivities and food preferences of the deportees are taken into account. According to Singh, the US authorities have conveyed that detainees on the three deportation flights—February 5, 15, and 16—were not required to remove any religious head coverings and that they did not request any religious accommodations apart from vegetarian meals.
The government’s statement comes amid reports that deported Indian nationals were subjected to harsh conditions, including being shackled during repatriation by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The MEA was asked whether India had raised formal diplomatic objections over the treatment of its citizens and if any modifications had been sought to the US Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on deportations.
Singh clarified that India remains engaged with US authorities to ensure humane treatment during deportation operations. “The US SOP for deportation, in effect since 2012, includes provisions for the use of restraints to maintain safety and security. While women and minors are generally not shackled, the flight officer in charge has the final discretion on such decisions,” he explained.
A total of 104 Indian nationals were deported on February 5 aboard a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft, which landed at Amritsar airport. This marked the first large-scale deportation of Indians under the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. The treatment of these deportees led to widespread outrage across the country.
Subsequently, two more groups of Indian deportees arrived on February 15 and 16. Addressing concerns over their treatment, Singh stated, “The US side has confirmed that no women or children were restrained on the deportation flights that landed on 15th and 16th February. Our agencies have verified this information through interviews conducted upon their arrival in India.” Earlier, on February 6, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha that India was actively engaging with the US to ensure deported nationals were treated with dignity. “Our focus must be on cracking down on illegal migration networks, but at the same time, the deported individuals should not face inhumane treatment,” he said.
The MEA was also questioned about whether it had received complaints from deported individuals regarding mistreatment during repatriation. However, no further details were provided in response to this query.
