Punjab, February 15:
A second special flight carrying 119 deportees from the United States, including 67 individuals from Punjab, is set to arrive at Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport on Saturday night, according to senior police officials.
Sources indicate that the flight is scheduled to land at approximately 10 PM.
Authorities have also mentioned that another deportation flight from the US is expected to arrive on February 16. Earlier, on February 5, a US military aircraft had transported 104 deportees to Amritsar.
Officials have not yet confirmed whether the arriving deportees are being flown in on a US aircraft or if the Indian government has arranged the flight.
Among those returning on Saturday, 67 belong to Punjab, while 33 are from Haryana. Additionally, eight individuals hail from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, and two each from Goa, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. One individual each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir is also part of the group.
A senior police official, speaking anonymously, stated that security measures at the airport have been strengthened, and authorities are closely monitoring the situation. Immigration officials, law enforcement personnel, and representatives from the Ministry of External Affairs will be present to oversee the process.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has criticized the central government for consistently choosing Amritsar as the landing site for such flights. He expressed concerns that this decision portrays Punjab in a negative light, implying that most deportees are from the state. Mann has raised the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs and is awaiting a response.
He emphasized that illegal immigration is a challenge faced by the entire country and questioned the rationale behind selecting Amritsar as the designated arrival point for deportees. Mann pointed out that the previous flight on February 5 had a majority of deportees from Gujarat, yet it was not directed to an airport in that state.
The Punjab Chief Minister also raised concerns about the broader implications of these decisions, stating that targeting a specific region for such arrivals could shape a misleading perception about its people.
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