New Delhi: Former Union Minister for Law and Justice, Ashwani Kumar, on Thursday condemned the US administration over the deportation of 104 Indian migrants to Punjab’s Amritsar from the United States.
Ashwani Kumar said that the “heart-rending ordeal” of these deportees aboard a US Army plane exposed America’s claims as a global champion of human rights and democracy.
“The heart-rending ordeal of Indian citizens deported to India in the US Army plane is the ultimate denunciation of American pretensions as the global defender of human rights and democracy,” said Ashwani Kumar.
Former Union Minister Kumar also appealed to External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar to take up the matter at the highest level in the US Administration and urged for concrete punitive action against those responsible for the inhuman treatment of Indians.
In a statement, Ashwani Kumar said, “The reported chaining and handcuffing of helpless captives aboard the American military plane, completely restricting their movement and even their access to toilet must put to shame all those responsible for the infraction of our citizens’ right to dignity and privacy. The guilty need to be made accountable for the torture of helpless captives.”
“The mental and physical torture of our citizens by the US authorities merits a firm and suitable response from the Indian Government,” said Kumar.
“Clearly protecting the dignity and basic human rights of Indian citizens is the first charge on the resources of the Indian state,” he added.