India Raises Concern Over Maltreatment of Deportee Harjit Kaur
Jaishankar tells Rajya Sabha the 73-year-old was mistreated in US detention; matter taken up strongly with American Embassy
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 5th Dec: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday informed the Rajya Sabha that 73-year-old Indian citizen Harjit Kaur was maltreated while in US detention before her deportation, and the Indian government has taken up the matter “strongly” with the American Embassy.
Responding during Question Hour, Jaishankar said that Indian immigration officials routinely interview all deportees upon their arrival in the country. In Kaur’s case, the immigration officer clarified that she had not been handcuffed, contradicting some earlier claims. However, he confirmed that she had faced mistreatment during her detention in the United States.
“Whenever any flight with deportees comes, the deportees are invariably interviewed by officials of the Government of India. In this particular case, our immigration officer said she was not cuffed,” the Minister said.
“While Harjit Kaur was not handcuffed, she was maltreated in detention before she was put on the flight. We raised the matter of her maltreatment strongly with the American Embassy and asked the American authorities to look into it,” he added.
Kaur, a Sikh woman who lived in the United States for more than three decades, was deported by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in September after repeated unsuccessful attempts to secure asylum. She moved to California in 1991 with her two young sons and worked while pursuing multiple legal appeals, including up to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
According to accounts documented after her return, Kaur spent 60–70 hours in a detention facility without a bed, sleeping on the floor despite having undergone double knee replacement surgery. She was reportedly denied appropriate food and given only ice to take her medication.
Kaur was transferred to a holding facility in Georgia on September 19 and deported to India on September 22, without being able to visit her home or bid farewell to family and friends.
The government’s strong diplomatic response signals its intent to ensure accountability and the humane treatment of Indian nationals abroad, even in cases involving deportation.
