Farmers protest against US for ill-treating deportees

Farmer leaders protested outside the Press Club here and burnt an effigy of US President Donald Trump, condemning the treatment of Indian deportees, who were sent back from the United States in handcuffs.

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The demonstration, led by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), Rajewal, drew a large gathering of farmers who voiced their outrage.

Speaking on the occasion farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal criticised both the Indian and US governments, while stating that rising unemployment in India was forcing youth to seek opportunities abroad.

He alleged that illegal travel agents in Punjab were exploiting this desperation and the government had failed to address the issue.

“Many deportees shared that they were unaware about being sent to the US illegally. Travel agents promised deportees legitimate visas and safe passage, only for them to be detained and deported in a humiliating manner,” said Rajewal, while slamming the state government for failing to take action against such fraudulent agents, who continue to operate freely and make innocent residents suffer.

He called for strict measures to regulate immigration services and protect job-seeking youth from exploitation. He further said the Punjab Government’s claim of reversing the trend of immigration had fallen flat. Rajewal also questioned the silence of the Indian Government, while pointing out unusual circumstances in which the US deportation flight landed in Amritsar, a border region. — TNS