Haryana govt faces backlash for using police buses to bring deportees

Escorted by police vehicles, 33 deportees from Haryana arrived in two police buses at Police Lines in Ambala from Amritsar airport on Sunday

The move by the Haryana government to bring back the 33 deportees of the state from Amritsar in police buses has sparked a row, with political leaders slamming the Nayab Sing Saini-led state government for the move.

As per figures, nine deportees were from Karnal district, followed by eight from Kaithal, four from Ambala, two from Kurukshetra and rest from other areas of the region. (File)

Escorted by police vehicles, 33 deportees from Haryana arrived in two police buses at Police Lines in Ambala from Amritsar airport on Sunday. After following the formal process, the men were taken to concerned districts by the police.

As per figures, nine deportees were from Karnal district, followed by eight from Kaithal, four from Ambala, two from Kurukshetra and rest from other areas of the region.

Punjab’s NRI affairs minister slams govt; calls the incident “unfortunate”

In a video shot at Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ramdas Jee International Airport, Punjab’s NRI affairs minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal targets the Haryana government over the state’s police vehicles parked and says that these buses are usually used for prisoners and were now being used for deportees by the Haryana government.

“This happened last time too. This is saddening. I would like to ask senior BJP leader Anil Vij, who is the transport minister of Haryana, why didn’t he send another vehicles/buses for them. Punjab used better vehicles for this purpose. Infact, no public or government representative from Haryana arrived here, lest they should have send better buses. I condemn this,” he said.

The act, Dhaliwal said, is “unfortunate” as the deportees are already under stress and “welcoming” them in such a way only looks like the government is rubbing salt on the wounds.

Cong MP Surjewala flays state government over the move

Similarly, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala also questioned the move.

On a post in Hindi on X, he wrote, “When the need is that we stand firmly with these youth, protect their shattered self-respect, at the same moment chief minister (Nayab) Saini and his government are taking the youth of Haryana from Amritsar to Haryana like prisoners in a prison van after being deported from America.”

“First humiliation and disgrace in a foreign country, now facing shame in their own country,” the Congress leader added in the post.

While there was no reaction from the state government on the issue immediately, sources said that after landing at the airport, state officials escorted them to Ambala in police vehicles in anticipation of the fact that there could be some men with criminal records among them.

After further formal clearance from central and state security agencies, the men are allowed to leave for their concerned districts, a senior official said, on condition of anonymity.

Kurukshetra man held from airport

Meanwhile, the Kurukshetra police said that they arrested a Pehowa resident Sahil Verma, who was among the deportees, in a case registered against him in 2022 under POCSO Act, of the district from the airport.

In a statement, SP Varun Singla said that Verma was arrested in a 2022 case registered against him under charges of POCSO act.

“Nearly five days after the registration of criminal case, he left for the US with the help of immigration agents and spent ₹38 lakh. He was arrested under a team led by station house officer of Pehowa City police station from Amritsar airport,” he added.