Shashi Tharoor opposes US deportation of Indian migrants, Calls for humane treatment

New Delhi: The Indian National Congress (INC) leader and member of parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, on Thursday, also voiced concerns over the deportation of Indian nationals.

Tharoor says, "It's not the first time we have had people deported. It's just that the media has suddenly woken up to this story because Mr Trump has done it a bit quicker than people expected. 

But already last year, under the Biden Administration, were over 1100 Indians being deported back." 

"If you are illegally in the US, the US has the right to deport you and if your identity as an Indian is confirmed then India must accept you. So, in both cases, there isn't very much debate.

However, it wasn't good to hear that they were brought back forcibly in a military plane handcuffed, and so on. 

"That was quite unnecessary. It should have been enough to put them on a commercial aircraft or civilian airplane and send them back.

If you want to do a mass deportation, do it in civilian charters. That would have been the more humane thing to do."

"They may have violated your laws by coming to your country, but by and large, they have no bad intentions. They are not criminals, and they are not convicted of anything else.

 They are there to make a better life for themselves, which they have done by violating your laws."

"You can send them out. But handcuffing them and putting them in a military aircraft and sending them in this way, I think India should say that this is not entirely advisable," said Shashi Tharoor.

A C-17 wide-bodied aircraft of the U.S. Air Force landed at the Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport of Amritsar which was carrying 104 deported Indians yesterday afternoon.

Among the deported Indians, 33 people are said to be from Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat who were also returned to their home state, as per news reports.