Amritsar: Amid growing criticism in Punjab over US deportation flights landing in Amritsar rather than other destinations in the country, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya took to X to share that this was not an unprecedented occurrence.
Sharing a report that stated a total of 21 flights carrying Indian deportees have arrived in the country since May 2020 – with all of them landing in Amritsar – Malviya captioned the post, “Note to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.” According to the report, the total number is inclusive of the three latest flights that have arrived in India since February 5 this year.
After Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann voiced objections to US deportation flights arriving in Amritsar, government sources have defended the landings, pointing out that Punjab has the largest share of deportees. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Parliament on February 6 that the process of deportation is not a new one, and the standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft provides for the use of restraints.
Government sources also shared data of the three flights that arrived in India on February 5, 15 and 16 this year, revealing that of the 333 deportees on US military aircraft, 126 were from Punjab, 110 from Haryana, and 74 from Gujarat. Eight of them were from Uttar Pradesh, five from Maharashtra, two each from Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Goa, and one each from Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand. (PTI inputs).
