Had to eat with handcuffs on: Haryana youth recalls 32-hr ordeal
Gaganpreet Singh (24) of Digoh village in Fatehabad, Haryana, reunited with his family in the early hours of Thursday after being deported from the US. His parents welcomed him with tears, holding him tightly after his long and arduous journey home.
Digoh — ‘mini Canada’ of Haryana
Digoh, a village often referred to as “mini Canada”, stands out for its deep connection with countries like Canada, the US and Australia. With over 200 of its 725 eligible voters living abroad, the village exudes prosperity, showcasing grand homes, luxury cars and modern amenities that mirror an urban landscape.
Gaganpreet’s return was marked by a gruelling 32-hour ordeal as he made his way from the US to Amritsar. “There were 104 persons on the flight back to India, which left at 4 am on February 2. During the journey, we were offloaded twice for six hours before flying continuously for over 12 hours,” he recounted.
The most harrowing part of the journey was being handcuffed throughout the flight. “We had to eat with our hands tied. The meals served included bread, chicken, fish and rice,” he said. While US officials were polite, the conditions felt prison-like, as deportees were not allowed to stand and their phones were confiscated before they left the detention centre. Each deportee’s bag was marked with identification stickers for easy processing. Gaganpreet’s journey to the US was arranged by an agent for Rs 16.5 lakh. His route took him from France to Spain, before attempting to cross the US border on January 22. However, he was apprehended immediately by the US authorities and placed in a detention centre until his deportation on February 2.
Prior to this, Gaganpreet had gone to the UK on a study visa in August 2022, where he juggled his studies with jobs at Pizza Hut and in a kitchen. However, financial difficulties forced him to drop out of the university and seek alternative routes to the US via agents.
Following his return to India, Gaganpreet and 32 other deportees from Haryana were processed at the Amritsar airport, after which they were sent to Ambala before reaching their respective districts.
Gaganpreet’s father, Sukhwinder Singh, shared the financial strain his family endured to send his son abroad. “We sold a part of our land to raise Rs 50 lakh for his journey. We only wanted him to build a better future,” he said.
Now, with Gaganpreet safely home, Sukhwinder hopes that the government would create more employment opportunities in Haryana to prevent young people from taking such dangerous routes. “If there were good job opportunities here, our children wouldn’t have to go abroad,” he lamented.
