Modi is under pressure from India’s opposition over reports of US abuse of deported citizens

Following allegations that US officials were mistreating Indian deportees, opposition leaders have called on PM Narendra Modi to provide answers.

On Thursday, opposition MPs in India questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration and demanded a parliamentary discussion about the alleged abuse of 104 Indian immigrants who had been deported by the United States.

The deportees were transported by a US military plane that touched down in Amritsar, Punjab, the Sikh holy city, on Wednesday. The expulsion takes place a week before President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Modi in Washington and is consistent with his immigration views.

All adults were handcuffed on the trip, according to stories in The Times of India and The Indian Express, which quoted anonymous Punjab officials who interacted with the deportees. When they arrived at the Amritsar airport, they were inspected for hours before being driven away in police cars in small groups. The deportees could not be reached by Reuters.

A police official who wished to remain anonymous said that some of the people were later flown to Ahmedabad, Gujarat, which was nearer to their homes. Others, mostly from Haryana and Punjab, stayed in the area under police watch. Security guards were seen transporting deportees out of Ahmedabad airport, according to a Reuters witness.

In a letter to the lower house of parliament’s secretary general, opposition Congress Party MP Gaurav Gogoi denounced the alleged abuse, saying,

“Serious concerns regarding these individuals’ human dignity and rights have been raised by reports that they were shackled and subjected to degrading treatment during the deportation process.”

Manickam Tagore, a member of the Congress Party, urged Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to explain the Modi government’s position and the efforts it has done to resolve the matter in parliament.

Requests for response were not immediately answered by the US embassy or India’s foreign ministry. As opposition MPs yelled slogans calling for a government response, both houses of parliament were postponed on Thursday.

Since Trump took office last month, migration has dominated US-Indian negotiations, and it is anticipated to play a significant role in his next meetings with Modi. Although Indian immigrants have been deported by US administrations in the past, this is the first time a US military aircraft has been utilized for the purpose and the longest-distance deportation mission the US military has ever carried out.