Pramod Thomas is a senior correspondent with Asian Media Group since 2020, bringing 19 years of journalism experience across business, politics, sports, communities, and international relations. His career spans both traditional and digital media platforms, with eight years specifically focused on digital journalism. This blend of experience positions him well to navigate the evolving media landscape and deliver content across various formats. He has worked with national and international media organisations, giving him a broad perspective on global news trends and reporting standards.
A PLANE carrying 33 people from Gujarat, who were among 104 Indians deported from the US for illegal immigration, landed at Ahmedabad airport from Amritsar on Thursday (6) morning, officials said.
Soon after their arrival, the 33 immigrants, including some children and women, were transported to their native places in Gujarat in police vehicles, assistant commissioner of police, 'G' division, R D Oza said.
"A plane carrying 33 Gujarati immigrants, including children and women, landed at the airport from Amritsar in the morning. They were among those who were deported from the US. We deployed police vehicles at the airport to transport them to their respective places," Oza told reporters at the airport.
While mediapersons tried to talk to the deported immigrants, they refused to say anything and left for their native places in the police vehicles.
Majority of them are from Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Patan, Vadodara and Kheda districts, sources said.
A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants, including 33 from Gujarat, landed at Amritsar in Punjab on Wednesday (5), the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump government as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants.
Family members of these illegal immigrants from Gujarat have claimed they do not know how their kin reached the foreign soil.
Former state deputy chief minister Nitin Patel had expressed sympathy for the deported Gujaratis, underlining the fact that they had gone to the foreign country looking for a job or career, and they should not be portrayed as criminals.
Deputy inspector general of police, CID-Crime, Parikshita Rathod said the police will not question the deportees at this stage.
Meanwhile, several opposition MPs on Thursday slammed the government for the way Indians staying illegally in the US were deported, questioning the treatment meted out to them.
The deportees claimed their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey and they were unshackled only after landing at the Amritsar airport.
Opposition parliamentarians, including Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, protested the treatment meted out to the Indians by US authorities by staging a demonstration in Parliament complex. Some of the opposition leaders protested while wearing handcuffs.
Indian immigrants who allegedly illegally migrated to US arrive in Ahmedabad. (ANI Photo)
Carrying placards like “Humans. Not prisoners”, the opposition leaders said they would not tolerate the insult to India and raised slogans against the government like “Indians insulted. India won’t stay silent”.
“We, the INDIA parties, shall not tolerate the humiliation of Indian nationals. Modi Government must come out with a detailed statement on the deportation and why did we not send our own planes to bring back the Indians, with dignity and respect, instead of a military plane landing on our soil,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X.
Sharing a video of a deportee who was narrating his ordeal, Rahul Gandhi said on X, “Prime minister, listen to this man’s pain. Indians deserve Dignity and Humanity, NOT Handcuffs”.
Talking to reporters in Parliament complex, Congress Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said prime minister Modi should answer why such treatment was given to those deported.
“I would say that a lot was talked about PM Modi and (Donald) Trump’s friendship. Couldn’t we send our plane to get them all back? PM should answer,” she said.
“We have been hearing that Modi and Trump are good friends… Why did he allow this to happen? Is this how you treat people, that you send them back in chains. Prime minister should answer, this is not the way,” the Congress general secretary said.
Yadav asked why these people were forced to leave India. “The question is not just about these Indians being sent back in inhuman conditions. They showed people a dream that India is going to be Vishwaguru. Now they are all quiet,” Yadav said.
Amid attacks by the opposition, Indian minister Chirag Paswan said the government will put forth its views at an appropriate time. “It is a policy decision and it should not be politicised by the opposition,” he said.
Former Union minister and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said the US has a legal right to deport people living there illegally. But we are protesting the way they were sent back. He suggested a civilian aircraft could have been used for the purpose.
India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar addressed parliament about the matter, stating that while restraints were standard US procedure, women and children were not shackled.
"We have been informed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that women and children are not restrained," Jaishankar said.
He added that according to ICE, the needs of deportees during transit, including for food and medical attention, were attended to and deportees could be unrestrained during bathroom breaks.
"There has been no change from past procedure," he added.
Jaspal Singh, one of the deportees on the flight that landed in Amritsar city, described a harrowing experience aboard the flight.
Singh claimed he remained in shackles until landing, contradicting official statements about restraint protocols. He told the BBC that he had borrowed Rs 4 million ( £38,000) for his attempted migration to America, undertaking a perilous months-long journey through terrain where he witnessed evidence of others who had perished en route.
The deportation forms part of a broader American crackdown on illegal immigration, with roughly 18,000 Indians identified for removal. Many of these individuals fall prey to fraudulent travel agencies, paying enormous sums for perilous journeys abroad.
The US maintains that enforcing immigration laws is vital for national security, though they have not commented specifically on the treatment of passengers during this particular flight.
Taliban security personnel on a Soviet-era tank ride towards the border, during clashes between Taliban security personnel and Pakistani border forces, in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar Province on October 15, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to an “immediate ceasefire” after talks in Doha.
At least 10 Afghans killed in Pakistani air strikes before the truce.
Both countries to meet again in Istanbul on October 25.
Taliban and Pakistan pledge to respect each other’s sovereignty.
PAKISTAN and Afghanistan have agreed to an “immediate ceasefire” following talks in Doha, after Pakistani air strikes killed at least 10 Afghans and ended an earlier truce.
The two countries have been engaged in heavy border clashes for more than a week, marking their worst fighting since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
A 48-hour truce had briefly halted the fighting, which has killed dozens of troops and civilians, before it broke down on Friday.
After the talks in Doha, Qatar’s foreign ministry said early on Sunday that “the two sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries”.
The ministry added that both sides would hold follow-up meetings in the coming days to ensure the ceasefire remains in place.
Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif confirmed the agreement and said the two sides would meet again in Istanbul on October 25.
“Terrorism on Pakistani soil conducted from Afghanistan will immediately stop. Both neighbouring countries will respect each other's sovereignty,” Asif posted on social media.
Afghanistan’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid also confirmed the “signing of an agreement”.
“It was decided that both countries will not carry out any acts of hostility against each other,” he wrote on X on Sunday.
“Neither country will undertake any hostile actions against the other, nor will they support groups carrying out attacks against the Government of Pakistan.”
The defence ministers shared a photo on X showing them shaking hands after signing the agreement.
Security tensions
The clashes have centred on security concerns.
Since the Taliban’s return to power, Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks, mainly near its 2,600-kilometre border with Afghanistan.
Islamabad claims that groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operate from “sanctuaries” inside Afghanistan, a claim the Taliban government denies.
The recent violence began on October 11, days after explosions in Kabul during a visit by Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India.
The Taliban then launched attacks along parts of the southern border, prompting Pakistan to threaten a strong response.
Ahead of the Doha talks, a senior Taliban official told AFP that Pakistan had bombed three areas in Paktika province late Friday, warning that Kabul would retaliate.
A hospital official in Paktika said that 10 civilians, including two children, were killed and 12 others injured in the strikes. Three cricket players were among the dead.
Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that Taliban forces had been ordered to hold fire “to maintain the dignity and integrity of its negotiating team”.
Saadullah Torjan, a minister in Spin Boldak in Afghanistan’s south, said: “For now, the situation is returning to normal.”
“But there is still a state of war, and people are afraid.”
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