US Shackling Indian Deportees: Modi Regime’s Somersault from Justification to ‘Flagging Concerns’ is Condemnable
On 6 February, amid unprecedented protests in both houses of the Indian parliament on handcuffing and chaining of Indian deportees on a massive C-17 US military aircraft, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar had justified the US move as a “standard operating procedure” (SOP). He also informed the protesting members that deportation of illegal Indian immigrants from US was not a new development but an ongoing process and, quoting data, also said that since 2009, a total of 15756 illegal Indian immigrants had been deported to India, the highest deportation being in 2019 with 2042.
However, details regarding the 104 deportees in leg shackles and handcuffs and on the inhuman treatment meted out to them including women and children restrained “with ropes around their legs” on board the military plane on a 42-hour flight came out in the subsequently. Following this, on 7 February, the Modi government has come out with an explanation that it has “registered concerns” with US administration over the handling of 104 illegal immigrants. However, except newspaper reports, information on a formal diplomatic protest by India on this issue is still lacking in the public domain, and the US embassy in Delhi has not released anything in this regard.
At the same time, this belated ‘flagging of concerns’ on the part of the Indian government which, being a lackey of the US regime under Trump, was quick to justify the heinous deportation procedure as SOP, should be seen in view of the unprecedented protests from opposition parties and surging people’s fury across the country. According to accepted international procedures, the use of military planes for deportations of undocumented immigrants is often considered as intimidating the country of origin, and hence very rarely used in normal situation. That is why, Columbia and Brazil like Latin American countries strongly objected to deporting their nationals in military planes and demanded the Trump administration to send their citizens in a dignified manner. In spite of being a small low-income country, and strongly objecting to deporting their citizens in military aircraft, Columbia, for instance, had sent a civilian flight to the US to bring back them back.
Thus, when Columbia demanded dignified deportation, the fascist Modi government being a junior partner and, at the same time, a lackey of US was justifying the inhumane and undignified treatment meted out to Indian nationals. Like Columbia and Brazil had done, India should have bargained with US for using regular commercial flights or chartered civilian aircrafts for transporting Indian citizens. Instead, its servility to US imperialism has resulted in the imperialist master treating Indians as if they are “criminals”, “murderers”, “drug dealers”, and those who committed other heinous acts. It is an insult to the country and its people. What took place is the deportation of only the first batch of Indians. Around 725000 undocumented Indians are already there in US. Ironically, while Modi regime is claiming to make India, Vishwa Guru and Viksit Bharat by 2047, according to international studies and reports, with more than 50% of world’s “absolute poor”, India is now a “citadel of global poverty” and with unprecedented joblessness, it is also becoming a “wasteland” of unemployment. It is in this context that the hapless Indians, in search of livelihood and survival, are forced to migrate to US even without authorisation.
Meanwhile, it is to be noted that Modi regime’s extreme servitude to US imperialism is the inherent characteristic of its own mentor RSS which uses BJP as its political tool. For instance, when the Indian people were standing in solidarity with the heroic struggle of Vietnamese people against US imperialism, wholeheartedly supporting the US war effort, the then RSS supremo Golwalkar sent his message to the then US president thus: “By God’s grace the USA is the leader of the Free World. Dharma and Adharma are today engaged in a world-wide war. In this war the USA heads the side of Dharma.” No doubt, this relationship between both is now reaching newer heights and seeking newer horizons as neofascist Trump has ascended to power in US. Modi regime’s shameless response to the horrific, undignified and inhumane experience of hapless Indian nationals in US warplane is a logical corollary of this “cultural nationalism” of its mentor which is essentially casteist and servile to US imperialism.
This has another dimension too. An instance is Modi regime’s unjustified denial of visa to Indian-American politician and former Seattle City Councillor Kshama Sawant for visiting her ailing mother in Bengaluru. As a member of ‘Socialist Alternative’, she was the only member of the Party to date to be elected to public office in US. As Councillor of Seattle, in 2023 she got a law passed against caste discrimination and untouchability practiced by caste-elites from India. As such, Seattle became the first US city and the first in the world outside India that banned caste discrimination. Obviously, this goes against the core ideological orientation of RSS that identifies Indian nation with casteism. She also took initiative for passing a resolution in Seattle City council condemning BJP government’s 2019 anti-Muslim CAA and NRC. That is why RSS/BJP is keen to put her on a ‘visa reject’ list.
In brief, Trumpian inhuman treatment meted out to Indian nationals and Modi regime’s condemnable response to it are to be viewed in the broader context of the unholy alliance between both the neofascist regimes – Tump administration as the imperialist master and Modi regime as its neocolonial lackey. In this context, we appeal to the people to grasp the true essence of the rhetoric and false propaganda of the Modi regime regarding making India Vishwa Guru and the hollowness of RSS’ much trumpeted “cultural nationalism” and resolutely come forward exposing and totally denouncing the fascist regime’s gross disregard for the poor and hapless Indian people. We also appeal to the working and democratic people of both US and India and the world over to unite and rise up in solidarity from the perspective of ‘unity of working and oppressed peoples of the world’ against neofascists of all hues.
P J James
General Secretary
CPI (ML) Red Star
New Delhi
08.02.2025
