'Somewhat different': What Delhi said on President Trump sending Indian deportees on military plane

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has said that the recent deportation of Indian illegal migrants on a military plane by the United States is different from previous ones.

"The deportation that happened the day before yesterday is somewhat different compared to flights that have been taking place for many years and is of a slightly different nature..." Vikram Misri said at a press conference today.

On Wednesday, more than 100 Indian citizens were sent back home on a US military aircraft. The deportation comes just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington.

The Opposition alleged that the Indian nationals were brought in an "inhumane manner" on a US military plane and were "ill-treated and hand-cuffed".

What did external affairs minister say?

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed the issue of US deportations during the budget session of Parliament. He claimed that the standard operating procedure (SOP) has been in effect since 2012 and is being followed this time as well.

“This is applicable to chartered civilian aircraft as well as military aircraft. There has been no change, I repeat, no change from past procedures for the flight undertaken by the US on 5 February 2025,” the foreign minister said.

"We are engaging the US government to ensure that the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner during the flight. At the same time, the House will appreciate that our focus should be on crackdown, strong crackdown on the illegal migration industry while taking steps to ease visas for the legitimate traveller. On the basis of information provided by returning deportees about the agents and others involved, law enforcement agencies will take necessary preventive and exemplary actions," he added.

Opposition allegations

On Thursday, the Opposition held a protest outside Parliament over the comments of S Jaishankar and the mistreatment of Indian nationals during the deportation process by the US.

Congress leader KC Venugopal accused that the response of the external affairs ministry over the deportation issue is "shocking" and shows “complete helplessness”, reported ANI.

“I heard the statement of EAM Jaishankar. It sounded like a statement from the US State Secretary. This is completely unfortunate. We understand that there have to be legal proceedings regarding the illegal immigrants and there has to be deportation but the manner in which it was done was very sad,” Venugopal said.

"The shocking thing is that the Indian government is showing complete helplessness and they are completely going with the same stand of the US Department," he added.