West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday condemned the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants from the US in chains as "shameful" and criticised the central government for not ensuring their repatriation with dignity.
She expressed concerns over the "inhumane conditions" under which the deportees were sent back to India, stating that such treatment could have been avoided.
"Bringing back deportees in chains is shameful. It is a matter of great shame and concern," Banerjee said, adding that the Union government should have arranged for its transport planes to fetch the deportees, instead of subjecting them to such conditions.
"The Honourable Prime Minister, did you take responsibility for this? While you were in the US (on an official visit), illegal immigrants were deported from there in chains. You could have at least said, 'these are our citizens, and we will take them back'. But no such measure was taken," she said.
While refusing to comment on national security or foreign policy issues, the chief minister remarked that the government could have ensured that Indian citizens were treated with respect.
"If our people were there, we should have taken responsibility for bringing them back with dignity," she added.
Banerjee said if anyone from Bengal was among them (illegal deportees) "you (the Centre) could have informed us, and we would have brought them back ourselves." The statement comes in the wake of reports that several illegal immigrants, including those from West Bengal, were sent back from the United States under harsh conditions.
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