Sikh deportees seen without turbans, religious body SGPC slams US
What's the story
A video of Sikh deportees from the United States without their turbans at Amritsar airport has gone viral, triggering a controversy.
Reacting to it, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Shiromani Akali Dal have slammed US authorities for allegedly not letting the deportees wear their turbans.
The clip shows a group of men sitting on the floor without their turbans while completing immigration formalities.
One deportee alleged they were asked to remove their turbans upon entering the US illegally.
Twitter Post
Alleged video of Sikhs without turbans at airport
Several Sikh deportees who were in deportation flight didn't have turbans on their heads at the time of landing last night at Sri Guru Ram Das Airport Amritsar. US military aircraft carrying 119 indian Deportees
— Gurshamshir Singh (@gswaraich6) February 16, 2025
It's violation of basic human right of dignified treatment . pic.twitter.com/IWyoNdK0zQ
Turban significance
SGPC condemns US authorities' actions
The SGPC condemned the US authorities' actions, stressing that the turban is a major identity marker for Sikhs.
"It is a matter of regret that deportees were brought in shackles and Sikh deportees were not wearing turbans," Gurcharan Singh Grewal, general secretary of the SGPC, said.
Upon their arrival at Amritsar airport, the committee gave turbans to the deportees and offered community services like "langar" (community kitchen) and bus transport.
Diplomatic action
Shiromani Akali Dal leader urges MEA intervention
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia also condemned the incident, urging India's Ministry of External Affairs to take up the matter with US authorities to prevent such incidents in the future.
The controversy comes just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US, where he spoke about immigration issues with President Donald Trump.
Following the meeting, he said that "if there are Indian citizens....staying illegally in the United States, we are ready to take them back."
Deportation controversy
Deportation details and political reactions
The deportation was of 116 illegal Indian immigrants who arrived on February 15 on a US military aircraft.
This batch comprised 65 from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, and eight from Gujarat.
A subsequent flight arrived late Saturday night carrying 112 Indians.
So far, 332 illegal Indian immigrants have been deported on three flights.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has questioned the landing of these flights in Amritsar, accusing the BJP-led Centre of attempting to defame Punjab.