Sikh Immigrants Deported Turbanless From US To India
New Delhi, 17th February 2025: The illegal immigrants were deported from the US and were seen turbanless at Amritsar Airport. The video of this incident has sparked reactions from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
The second military aircraft of immigrants landed at Amritsar Airport on 15th February with 116 illegal immigrants, out of which 65 were from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, and two each from Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. One of them said that they were forced to take off their turbans.
The viral video of this incident, shot on the main gate’s glass door, went viral on the internet, sparking disappointment in the community and provoking actions to be taken over it. This is the second batch after the earlier plane craft on arrived on 5th February at Amritsar.
This was emphasized after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2 days visit to the US, where he met Donald Trump for the first time after the US Presidential Elections and assured that India would take back verified and undocumented immigrants as part of Trump’s efforts to reduce illegal immigration.
Reacting to the controversy, SGPC general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal said, “It is a matter of regret that deportees were brought in shackles and Sikh deportees were not wearing turbans.” He said the SGPC will flag the issue with the US authorities soon. “Turban is a part of a Sikh,” he added.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia also condemned the US authorities for allegedly sending the Sikh deportees without their turbans. He urged the Ministry of External Affairs to immediately take up the matter with the US authorities, saying such incidents should never be repeated in the future.
