7 Punjab youths, stranded in Tajikistan, return to India; AAP, BJP leaders claim credit for repatriation efforts

Seven youths from Ropar district in Punjab, who were stranded in Tajikistan after allegedly falling victim to a travel fraud, returned to India today afternoon. They landed at Delhi airport and are scheduled to reach Chandigarh by 7 pm, according to sources.

As the youths have returned, the race for political mileage over their repatriation has begun. A spokesperson for Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney (AAP) has claimed that the youths were repatriated due to his efforts. The spokesperson stated that Sahney first took up the matter with the Indian Embassy in Tajikistan on October 19. His team also met the youths at Delhi airport.

Sahney stated that the youths would be provided with skills and employment opportunities in Punjab, ensuring they are not compelled to seek jobs abroad. They would also receive assistance in pursuing legal action against the travel agents involved, he added.

Meanwhile, Ropar BJP president, Ajayvir Singh Lalpura, arranged a welcome event for the youths in Ropar this evening. He also claimed that it was due to his efforts that the youths were repatriated from Tajikistan.

The sources here said that the travel agents who had sent the youth had arranged their return tickets by air. The parents of the stranded youth had earlier filed a complaint in Nangal police station against the agents. However, they did not pursue the complaint after the agents agreed to pay for their return back home, sources here told The Tribune.

The youths were reportedly lured abroad by a local agent with promises of lucrative driver jobs. However, upon reaching Tajikistan, they were forced to perform hard labour under inhuman conditions. They released a video showing themselves working as laborers in snowbound areas of Tajikistan, which went viral on social media.

The youths alleged that they were living in extreme distress, enduring freezing cold, hunger, and abuse. They were reportedly forced to carry heavy loads over long distances in mountainous terrain and were compelled to live in cramped metal containers, often without food or basic safety.

The ordeal came to light when Harvinder Singh, one of the victims from Nangal, managed to contact BJP district president Ajayvir Singh Lalpura over the phone.

Those who returned today include Manjit Singh, Amarjit Singh, Hardeep Singh, Avtar Singh, and Harvinder Singh, among others — all from Anandpur Sahib sub-division.