New Delhi, Feb 6: The Congress on Thursday submitted adjournment motions in the Lok Sabha, demanding an urgent discussion on the deportation of over 100 illegal Indian immigrants by the United States (US) and urged the Centre to clarify its stance and outline diplomatic efforts being made to ensure the dignified treatment of deported individuals.

The Indian nationals who were deported from the US for illegally arriving in the country on Wednesday claimed that they were sent back on the military aircraft with their hands and legs cuffed throughout the journey.

Congress MPs KC Venugopal, Gaurav Gogoi, and Manickam Tagore moved the motions, stressing the need to “urgently address the issue to prevent further dehumanisation” and to “uphold the dignity” of the deported Indians.

Venugopal, in his adjournment motion, called for a discussion on the “ongoing abrupt deportations of illegal Indian immigrants by the US government.”

The motion urged the Centre to clarify its stance and outline diplomatic efforts being made to ensure the dignified treatment of deported individuals.

“This crisis underscores the need for strong policies to prevent illegal migration and create structured legal avenues for those seeking employment abroad.

“There is an urgent need for intervention to dismantle human trafficking networks, provide financial and social reintegration support to deportees, and establish transparent migration frameworks to protect Indians from such predicaments in the future,” Venugopal added.

Gaurav Gogoi, Deputy Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, also submitted an adjournment motion, describing the deportations as “deeply distressing and humiliating.”

Similarly, Congress whip Manickam Tagore sought a discussion on the “inhumane deportation of Indian nationals by the United States” and urged the government to take necessary steps to prevent their mistreatment abroad.

The development comes a day after a US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar on Wednesday.

The deportees included 33 people each from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, and two from Chandigarh. Among them were 25 women and 12 minors, the youngest being just four-years-old.

The US military C-17 aircraft, which took off from Texas on Tuesday, landed at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport amid tight security. The flight also carried 11 crew members and 45 US officials overseeing the deportation process.

This was the first round of deportations under the Trump administration, coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Washington next week — his first after Donald Trump’s re-election as US President.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had earlier stated that India is open to the “legitimate return” of Indian nationals living illegally abroad, including in the US.

He conveyed India’s readiness to accept these migrants post-verification to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month.

President Trump had announced the crackdown last month, stating, “For the first time in history, we are locating and loading illegal aliens into military aircraft and flying them back to the places from which they came.”

Meanwhile, Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal expressed disappointment over the deportations, arguing that many of these individuals had contributed to the US economy and should have been granted permanent residency instead of being sent back.

According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 7,25,000 illegal immigrants from India live in the US, making it the third-largest population of unauthorised immigrants after Mexico and El Salvador.

Many of those facing deportation from Punjab had entered the US through illegal routes, spending lakhs of rupees in the process.

With Trump’s administration intensifying its crackdown on illegal immigration, uncertainty looms over the fate of thousands of Indians living without legal status in the US.

Kolkata, Feb 6: After two failed attempts to secure more time for the charge-framing process in the multi-crore financial irregularities case at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, former principal Sandip Ghosh and other accused have now moved a division bench of the Calcutta High Court.

The division bench, comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Subhendu Samanta, has accepted their petition and scheduled the hearing for the second half of Thursday.

The repeated rebuffs from the single-judge bench have now led the accused to seek recourse from the division bench.

The case involves allegations of multi-crore financial mismanagement at the state-run medical institution.

Notably, the charge-framing process is also set to begin at a special court in Kolkata this afternoon, making its fate dependent on the division bench’s ruling.

The special court is also scheduled to hear exemption petitions filed by the five accused, including Ghosh.

On Wednesday, the single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh had rejected, for the second time, a plea by the accused seeking more time for charge framing. This follows a January 31 ruling where Justice Tirthankar Ghosh had dismissed a similar plea, directing the CBI to ensure charge-framing begins by February 6.

On Wednesday, the accused had moved a review petition before the same bench, which was also rejected. Justice Ghosh questioned its admissibility, emphasizing that his earlier rejection was based on careful consideration.

The CBI charge sheet names five individuals — Sandip Ghosh, his assistant-cum-bodyguard Afsar Ali, private contractors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra, and junior doctor Ashish Pandey. All five are currently in judicial custody. The allegations against them involve significant financial irregularities at the medical college, and the outcome of the case is expected to have far-reaching implications.

New Delhi: Both Houses of Parlaiment are set to discuss on Thursday the Union Budget 2025-2026 that was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday.

The discussions will begin at 11 am today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reply to discussion on President Droupadi Murmu address in Rajya Sabha.

Today’s Lok Sabha session will mark its beginning with the Question Hour followed by laying of Parliamentary Papers on the table by several ministries.

Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar, Union State Minister of Power Shripad Yesso Naik, Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Shobha Karandlaje, Union State Minister of Road Transport and Highways Ajay Tamta, Union State Minister of Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, Union State Minister of Food Processing Industries Ravneet Singh Bittu and Union State Minister of Housing and Urban Affair Tokhan Sahu will lay their papers on the table.

Congress Seeks Debate On US Deportations

Deputy Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi has moved adjournment motion in Lok Sabha to discuss the deportations of over 100 Indian nationals by the United States government “carried out under conditions that are deeply distressing and humiliating.”

“This House must urgently address the issue to prevent further dehumanisation of our people and to uphold the dignity of every Indian, both at home and abroad,” the Motion reads.

Congress whip in Lok Sabha, Manickam Tagore has also moved adjournment motion in Lok Sabha to discuss the “inhumane deportation of Indian Nationals by the United States…and take all necessary steps to prevent the humiliation and mistreatment of Indian nationals abroad.”

A new Income Tax Bill is also likely to be introduced in Parliament today, which is set to replace the Income Tax Act of 1961.

Parliament Session Sees Disruptions Amid Heated Debates

The session has already seen disruptions, with heavy objections raised during Rahul Gandhi’s speech on Monday on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address. The Opposition also demanded a discussion on the recent Mahakumbh stampede tragedy.

PM Modi on Tuesday replied to the Motion of Thanks on President Droupadi Murmu’s address in the parliament and spoke about the development initiatives of the BJP-led government and efforts to improve the lives of the poor.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2024-25 on January 31, projecting India’s GDP to grow at a rate of 6.4 per cent for FY2025.

The Budget session of the Parliament commenced on January 31, with President Droupadi Murmu delivering her inaugural address.

The first part of the session will continue till February 13. The session will reconvene on March 10 and continue till April 4.