AMRITSAR: An American aircraft carrying 116 illegal Indian immigrants deported from the US was delayed and arrived at Amritsar’s international airport a little past 11.30pm Saturday, the second such flight after a US military C-17 plane had brought back 104 deportees to the same airport on February 5.
At a press conference earlier Saturday, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had once again expressed anger over the flight landing in the holy city amid allegations of attempts by the Centre to “tarnish the image of Punjab and Punjabis”. A third US flight carrying Indian deportees is expected to also land on Sunday, PTI reported, quoting official sources.
65 of 116 deportees in 2nd flight are from Punjab
When it was pointed out that the Centre had probably chosen Amritsar as the landing point for deportation flight as it was nearer to the US than other Indian airports, Mann shot back: “If Amritsar is so close, then it would make sense to start flights from here to the US and Canada as we have been demanding.”
Sixty-five of Saturday’s deportees are from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, 8 from Gujarat, two each from UP, Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and one each from HP and J&K , PTI quoted official sources as saying, adding that 119 had been expected but an updated passenger manifest had been provided later.
BJP national spokesperson RP Singh had said in a post on X on Saturday, in which Mann was tagged, “Amritsar is the closest international airport for flights entering India from the US” and that was why the US plane was landing there”.
Mann also questioned the appropriateness of allowing a US military plane to land in a city close to the border, saying, “Other countries are sending their civilian planes to bring back their deportees, so why are we allowing a US military plane to land here?” He also asked whether Vatican City would allow a US military plane to land in its territory. [Vatican City has a heliport for VIPs; other visitors use Rome’s airports.]
Punjab’s govt has arranged temporary accommodation for deportees from outside the state, who will leave for Delhi on a 6.30am flight on Sunday. Those from Punjab will be transported to their native places by road.
Family members of some deportees who came to the airport expressed dissatisfaction with the Punjab govt’s rehabilitation efforts.
The relatives of Harjit Singh (22) and Harjot Singh (20), were deeply depressed. They had spent 45 lakh on each of the cousins to send them to the US. Their uncle, Nishan Singh, said the two young men from Khanowal, in Gurdaspur, had reached the US just 10 days ago but were caught and deported. He added that a US-based travel agent had assured them of legal entry into US.
CM Mann, Union junior minister for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu and Congress MP from Amritsar Gurjeet Singh Aujla had visited the airport for some time earlier in the day.
Mann, asked at Saturday’s press conference whether Indian deportees would be in restraints, said state govt did not have any information about this, and that PM Modi should have raised the issue with Donald Trump when he met him.