Fact Checking Centre's Claim That Women Were Not Handcuffed While Deporting From US
New Delhi, India: The treatment of Indian deportees from US has sparked outrage widely. Reportedly, their hand and legs were shackled during the forty-hour flight, was deported in a military flight. The issue caused an uproar in the Parliament by the opposition, over the alleged disrespectful treatment of Indians by the US.
Responding to the issue, the Union Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, claimed that chaining detainees is a standard operational procedure, but handcuffs and chains were not used on women and children. He made the remarks in a statement issued.
“Deportations by the US are organized and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities. The Standard Operating Procedure for deportation by aircraft used by ICE, that is effective from 2012, I repeat, that is effective from 2012, provides for the use of restraints. However, we have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained”, read Jaishankar’s statement in the Parliament.
He also added that the Indian government is engaging with “the US government to ensure that the returning of the deportees are not mistreated in any manner during the flight”.
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However, media reports quoting Indians deported by the Trump administration prove the Minister’s claim that women were not hand-cuffed wrong. While speaking to the Indian Express, Lovepreet Kaur, a 30-year-old from Bholath in Kapurthala district in Punjab, said that she was chained from waist to leg, and hands were cuffed. She was with her 10-year-old child, who was spared from the restraining.
The detainees also said that they suffered a hellish atmosphere inside the US military aircraft while they were transferred. They said that they were chained, both hands and feet. They said they were allowed to use the toilet only after asking for long time. They were forced to eat while being shackled. The statements were against the External Minister’s claim that the deportees were not mistreated during their flight back home.
She said, “they (authorities) asked us to remove our SIM cards and even small ornaments like earrings and bangles. I had already lost my luggage in the previous country, so I had nothing to deposit with them. We were kept in a camp for five days, and on February 2, we were chained from the waist to our legs, with our hands cuffed. Only the children were spared”, as quoted by the outlet.
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“Further, the needs of deportees during transit related to food or other necessities, including possible medical emergencies, are attended to. During toilet breaks, deportees are temporarily unrestrained if needed in that regard”, read the Jaishankar’s statement.
