Amritsar (National Times): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday raised strong objections to the landing of US military aircraft carrying deported illegal Indian immigrants at Amritsar airport, alleging a deliberate attempt by the Centre to malign Punjab’s image.
Addressing a press conference, Mann questioned why Amritsar was repeatedly chosen as the landing site for deportation flights, despite illegal immigrants belonging to multiple states.
“The first flight carrying 104 deported Indians landed in Amritsar, but only 30 were from Punjab. The rest included 33 from Gujarat, 33 from Haryana, and others from Maharashtra and different states. Now, another deportation flight is landing in Amritsar. Why? What is the criteria? This is a clear attempt to defame Punjabis,” he said.
Mann further criticized the Centre’s handling of the issue, linking it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the US. “Right now, PM Modi is returning from the US. Is this deportation flight part of his diplomatic gift? While he was meeting Donald Trump, our people were being handcuffed. I agree that they entered illegally, but at least we should receive them with dignity. Even Colombia sent their own aircraft to bring back their people. Why is India allowing a US military plane to land in a sensitive border state like Punjab?”
He also highlighted the discrepancy in airport selection, pointing out that when the first deportation flight included 33 people from Gujarat, it did not land there. “Why didn’t that flight land in Ahmedabad? Why didn’t Rafale jets land in Amritsar if airport selection is so neutral?”
The Punjab CM urged the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs to reconsider their approach and ensure that such deportation flights do not land in Punjab. “If needed, we will bring our people back ourselves,” he asserted.
The issue has sparked political debate, with Mann’s remarks intensifying tensions between the Punjab government and the Centre over the treatment of deported Indian citizens.
