New Delhi, Mar 27 (UNI) India registered its concerns with the US regarding the need to accommodate religious sensitivities and food preferences of Indian nationals who are being deported to India, parliament was told today.
In response, the US authorities have conveyed that deportees on the three chartered flights that arrived on February 5, 15 and 16 respectively were not instructed to remove any religious head coverings and that the deportees did not request any religious accommodation during the flights, aside from requesting for vegetarian meals.
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also conveyed that some of the detainees arrived at the US border without turbans, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Rajya Sabha.
The Ministry has strongly registered its concerns with the US authorities on the treatment meted out to deportees on the flight that landed on February 5, particularly with respect to use of shackles, especially on women.
The US side has confirmed that no women or children were restrained on the deportation flights that landed in India on February 15 and 16 respectively. “This has been confirmed and recorded by our agencies after interviewing the deportees on their arrival in India. The Ministry of External Affairs remains engaged with the US side regarding humane treatment of deportees during such operations,” he said.
UNI RN