By The Sampadak Express
On Saturday, a US military plane carrying the second batch of 119 Indian deportees landed in Amritsar, Punjab. Among those deported, two men—Sandeep and Pradeep, cousins from Patiala’s Rajpura town—were immediately arrested by Punjab Police as they arrived at Sri Guru Ramdas Airport.
The two individuals were wanted in connection with a murder case filed in Rajpura in June 2023. They had been declared proclaimed offenders by Patiala Police and were facing charges under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (causing harm), 506 (criminal intimidation), 148 (rioting), and 149 (unlawful assembly). Despite being wanted, the police had not issued a ‘Look Out Circular’ for them.
The arrest took place as part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration by the US government, which has led to the deportation of hundreds of individuals. This second batch of deportees included 67 individuals from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, and several others from states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir.
This deportation flight arrives after a similar one on February 5, which had also landed at Amritsar Airport. The arrival of these deportation flights has drawn criticism from local officials, including Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Speaking to the media, Mann expressed concerns about Amritsar becoming a hub for deportations, saying, “Do not make our holy city a deportation center… Amritsar is known for the Golden Temple, Durgiana Mandir, Ram Tirath Temple, Jallianwala Bagh, and Gobindgarh Fort. Would they allow such flights to land at Vatican City if the deportees were from there?”
The ongoing deportations are part of the Trump administration’s efforts to tighten immigration laws and remove illegal immigrants from the United States.
