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

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has intensified his criticism of PM Narendra Modi’s government, highlighting claims that the deportees were “handcuffed”. Sharing a video of one of the deportees, Rahul Gandhi quoted, “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 one of the illegal migrant to US, Harvinder Singh, who was deported and sent back to India on Wednesday. Singh said in the interview to Indian Express, “On Feb 2 they took us out of our rooms and handcuffed us and also put shackles on our feet.”

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

Further narrating the ordeal, Harvinder Singh said, “They then took us to the airport, put us in a flight and informed us that we are 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”. 

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

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

The deportation of illegal Indian from US has sparked considerable 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 former 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 protested the “inhuman” treatment of the 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 demonstrate against the deportations. Punjab Minister 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 the focus should be on strong crackdown 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 need 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 Feb 5, 2025,” he added.