'We were handcuffed, legs chained,' claims Punjab man deported from US
Chandigarh: Jaspal Singh, who was among 104 deportees brought in a US aircraft on Wednesday, claimed that their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey and they were unshackled only after landing at the Amritsar airport.
Singh, 36, who hails from Hardorwal village in Gurdaspur district, said he was captured by the US Border Patrol on January 24.
A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal immigrants from various states landed here on Wednesday, the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump government as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants.
Of them, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh, sources said.
Nineteen women and 13 minors, including a four-year-old boy and two girls, aged five and seven, were among the deportees, they said.
Deportees from Punjab were taken to their native places in police vehicles from the Amritsar airport.
After reaching his home town Wednesday night, Jaspal said he was defrauded by a travel agent as he was promised that he would be sent to the US in a legal way.
"I had asked the agent to send me through a proper visa. But he deceived me," said Jaspal. He said that the deal was done at Rs 30 lakh.
Jaspal claimed that he reached Brazil by air in July last year. He said he was promised that the next leg of journey, to the US, would be by air too. However, he was "cheated" by his agent, who forced him to cross the border illegally.
After staying for six months in Brazil, he crossed the border to the US, but was arrested by the US Border Patrol.
He was kept there in custody for 11 days and then sent back home.
Jaspal said he didn't know he was being deported to India.
"We thought we were being taken to another camp. Then a police officer told us that they were being taken to India.
"We were handcuffed and our legs were chained. These were opened at the Amritsar airport," he claimed.
Jaspal said he was shattered with deportation. "A huge sum was spent. The money was borrowed."
Earlier, Jaspal's cousin Jasbir Singh said, "We came to know about his deportation through the media on Wednesday morning".
About the deportations, he said, "These are issues of governments. When we go abroad for work, we have big dreams for a better future for our families. Those have now been shattered."
Two more deportees, who reached their home towns in Hoshiarpur on Wednesday night, also shared their ordeal they went through to reach the US.
Harwinder Singh, who hails from Tahli village in Hoshiarpur, said he left for the US in August last year.
He was taken to Qatar, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua, and then Mexico.
From Mexico, he along with others were taken to the US, he said.
"We crossed hills. A boat, which was taking him along with other persons, was about to capsize in the sea but we survived," he told reporters.
He said he saw one person dying in the Panama jungle and one drowning in the sea.
Singh said his travel agent had promised him that he would first be taken to Europe and then to Mexico. He said that he spent Rs 42 lakh for his trip to the US.
"Sometimes we got rice. Sometimes, we did not get anything to eat. We used to get biscuits," he said.
Another deportee from Punjab spoke about the 'donkey route' used to take them to the US.
"Our clothes worth Rs 30,000-35,000 were stolen on the way," he said.
The deportee said they were first taken to Italy and then to Latin America.
He said they took a 15-hour-long boat ride and were made to walk 40-45 kms.
"We crossed 17-18 hills. If one slipped, then there would be no chance that he would survive... We have seen a lot. If anybody got injured, he was left to die. We saw dead bodies," he said.
Earlier in the day, the C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the US Air Force landed at the Amritsar airport.
The US action came just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington for wide-ranging talks with President Donald Trump.
The deportees were questioned inside the airport terminal building by different government agencies, including the Punjab Police, and various state and central intelligence agencies to check if they have any criminal record.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
