“US aircraft carrying 116 illegal Indian immigrants deported from the US was delayed and arrived at Amritsar’s international airport a little past 11.30pm Saturday. It is the second such flight after a US military C-17 plane had brought back 104 deportees to the same airport on February 5. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had once again expressed anger over the flight landing in the holy city amid allegations of attempts by the Centre to \”tarnish the image of Punjab and Punjabis\” A third US flight carrying Indian deportees is expected to also land on Sunday, PTI reported, quoting official sources. Sixty-five of Saturday’s deportees are from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, 8 from Gujarat, two each from UP, Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and one each from HP and J&K , PTI quoted official sources as saying. Punjab’s govt has arranged temporary accommodation for deportees from outside the state, who will leave for Delhi on a 6.30am flight on Sunday. Those from Punjab will be transported to their native places by road. Family members of some deportees who came to the airport expressed dissatisfaction with the Punjab govt’s rehabilitation efforts. The relatives of Harjit Singh (22) and Harjot Singh (20), were deeply depressed. They had spent 45 lakh on each of the cousins to send them to the US. Their uncle, Nishan Singh, said the two young men from Khanowal, in Gurdaspur, had reached the US just 10 days ago but were caught and deported. He added that a US-based travel agent had assured them of legal entry into US.”
