The case of Indians deported to America reached human rights, complaint of bad treatment
The case of Indian migrants deported from America has now reached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Supreme Court Bar Association member and senior lawyer Virendra Vashisht has written a letter to NHRC expressing concern over the inhuman treatment meted out to Indian migrants. In the letter, he wrote that the Ministry of External Affairs should be urged to raise this issue with America and fix accountability. Let us tell you that the US Army’s military aircraft ‘C-17 Globemaster’ landed in Amritsar, Punjab on 5 February. In which there were 104 migrant Indians.
What was written in the letter?
According to Aaj Tak’s report, lawyer Virendra Vashisht wrote in his letter that the Indian migrants recently sent from America to India were brought in a US military plane in handcuffs and shackles. This method is used only for dangerous criminals, which is a gross violation of fundamental human rights. He wrote,
‘The deported Indians were kept in handcuffs and shackles throughout the journey, as if they were dangerous criminals. Whereas their only crime was illegal migration. Such harsh procedures caused physical pain, mental trauma and emotional stress to the people. According to the UN human rights rules, it is illegal to use such force on non-violent individuals. Without any security threat, keeping the deportees in handcuffs and shackles was degrading, inhuman and inconsistent.
What was demanded in the letter?
Apart from the complaint, several demands were also made in the letter-
- NHRC should investigate the matter and document the experiences of the affected people.
- The Ministry of External Affairs should be urged to raise this issue with the US and fix accountability.
- People who have returned to India should be given proper medical and mental help.
- This issue should be raised with human rights organizations so that such incidents do not happen in the future.
Lawyer Virendra said that keeping deported Indians in handcuffs and shackles is not acceptable and should be strongly condemned.
Preparations to send ‘487’ migrants to India
Amidst all this, 487 more illegal Indian migrants living in America have been identified. They will be sent back to India soon. The central government said that US officials have identified these illegal migrants. Addressing a press conference, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the External Affairs Minister (EAM) has given information about the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) shared by US officials.
He said that we have made it clear to the US administration that any inhumane treatment of deported Indians will not be tolerated. If we get information about any kind of mistreatment, we will immediately raise it at the highest level.
