‘Indians deserve dignity, NOT handcuffs’: Rahul Gandhi shares deportee’s ‘worse than hell’ account; attacks Modi govt

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday intensified his criticism of PM Narendra Modi’s government, highlighting claims that the Indian illegal immigrants deported by the US on a military plane were ‘handcuffed’. Sharing a video of one of the deportees, Rahul Gandhi quoted him as saying, “For 40 hours, we were handcuffed, our feet tied with chains and we were not allowed to move an inch from our seats.”

“Prime Minister, listen to this man’s pain. Indians deserve dignity and humanity, not handcuffs,” Rahul Gandhi added. 

What did the Indian deportee say?

The quote was by an illegal immigrant, Harvinder Singh, who was deported and sent back to India by the US on Wednesday. Singh told the Indian Express in an interview, “On February 2, they took us out of our rooms and handcuffed us and also put shackles on our feet.”

“They told us that they were taking us to some camp and didn’t tell us that we were being deported. Then they onboarded us to a bus. All this while our hands and feet remained cuffed,” Singh added. 

Further narrating the ordeal, Singh said, “They then took us to the airport, put us on a flight and informed us that we were being taken to India. We stopped at two places before being taken to Amritsar. The journey took us 40 hours. For 40 hours, we were handcuffed, our feet tied with chains and we were not allowed to move an inch from our seat.” 

“Only after repeated requests were we allowed to go to the bathroom, and someone accompanied us there as well,” Singh narrated. 

The US military aircraft carrying the deported Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar, with the deportees alleging they were handcuffed and shackled throughout the journey. The deportations occurred as US President Donald Trump’s administration began enforcing its hardline immigration policies.

The deportation of illegal Indians from the US has sparked a major controversy and triggered responses from various political figures:

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra: The Congress MP has criticised the government, questioning why PM Modi did not intervene, given his friendly relationship with US President Donald Trump. She questioned why the Indian government couldn’t have sent a plane to bring them back and condemned the alleged use of handcuffs and chains.

Opposition protest: Opposition MPs staged a protest to condemn the “inhuman” treatment of Indian deportees, alleging they were shackled during the journey on a US military aircraft to Amritsar. They gathered outside Parliament with placards and wore handcuffs to protest against the deportations. Punjab Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal also urged PM Modi to discuss the matter with US President Trump.

What did Jaishankar say on Indians being ‘handcuffed’

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said the government is engaging with the US to ensure that deported Indians are not mistreated, underlining that the focus should be on cracking down on the illegal migration industry.

The minister stated that the process of deportation is not a new one.

“The standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft provides for the use of restraints. However, we have been informed that women and children are not restrained,” he said.

“Further needs of deportees during transit related to food and other necessities, including possible medical emergencies, are attended to. During toilet breaks, deportees are temporarily unrestrained if needed. This is applicable to chartered civilian aircraft as well as military aircraft,” he said.

“There has been no change from past procedures for the flight undertaken by the US on February 5, 2025,” he added.