Cruel and shameful to send illegal immigrants from US in shackles: Uma Bharti

Bhopal: Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Uma Bharti on Saturday lashed out at the US government for the "cruel and extremely shameful manner" in which it deported the illegal Indian immigrants recently.

A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar on February 5, the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump administration as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants.

Some deportees claimed that their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey and that they were unshackled only after landing in Amritsar.

In a post on social media platform 'X', Uma Bharti said, "The manner in which the illegal Indian immigrants were sent back from America in handcuffs and shackles is extremely shameful and a blot on humanity." The American governments have shown this cruel and violent attitude towards Red Indians and people of African origin living there many times, she alleged.

"When they (deportees) were being sent by a plane, keeping them in handcuffs and shackles shows the cruelty and inhumanity of the American administration. Entering a country illegally is a crime, every country has provisions for its punishment as per the law, but such cruelty is a great sin," the BJP leader said.

Another US plane carrying 119 illegal immigrants is likely to land at Amritsar airport on Saturday, the second such batch of Indians deported by the Trump government. The plane is expected to land at the airport around 10 pm, official sources have said.