Harjit Kaur ‘maltreated’ in US detention: EAM

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday told the Rajya Sabha that Sikh woman Harjit Kaur, who was deported from the United States in September, was not handcuffed while being placed on a flight to India but was “maltreated in detention”.

Responding to concerns flagged by an MP, Jaishankar referred to the account of Harjit's lawyer, who said: “Thankfully, they didn’t cuff her. One officer was going to do it but another officer said not to because of her age.”

Jaishankar said Indian immigration officials had also verified that she was not restrained upon arrival. “Whenever a flight with deportees lands — chartered or commercial — our officials interview every individual. In this case, they confirmed she was not handcuffed,” he said.

However, the minister acknowledged that Harjit faced poor treatment during her detention in the US. “While Harjit was not handcuffed, she was maltreated in detention before being put on the flight. On September 26, we took up the matter with the US Embassy through a note verbale conveying our strong concern,” he told the House.

Harjit, who spoke to mediapersons in Mohali after her return, had claimed she was handcuffed while being taken to the detention centre and described the eight days she spent there as “horrible”.

Harjit first arrived in California in 1992 with her two young sons and had built a quiet life in Hercules, a suburb of San Francisco, working at a local saree store and later spending time with her grandchildren. Her decades in the US came to an abrupt end this September when she was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on September 8 during what she believed would be a routine reporting visit.