Illegal Indian immigrants on the second deportation flight from the US, which landed in Amritsar on Saturday night, have revealed that there was no let-up in the prisoner-like treatment on board the military aircraft despite concerns flagged by New Delhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent trip to Washington.

In all, 116 Indians were brought back on the second deportation flight and — barring the women and children — all were shackled, officials who processed their return at the Amritsar airport told the media.

The shackling is part of the protocol followed by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, purportedly to ensure the safety of the deportees given that they return to a very uncertain future with their dreams crushed.

This comes after foreign secretary Vikram Misri said on February 7 that India had “registered our concerns” with the US authorities after the first deportation flight under the Trump regime brought back deportees who were shackled throughout the long journey. Misri had sidestepped questions on whether India had protested the treatment meted out to them like Colombia, Mexico and Brazil, and if New Delhi had considered sending an Indian aircraft to bring them back.

Earlier, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar had avoided similar questions in Parliament after making a statement in which he sought to underscore that the use of restraints was standard operating procedure for such removal flights since 2012.

Misri, however, conceded later that “the nature of the flight in this occasion (the first military flight) was determined by a significantly different type of operation — the characterisation by the United States as a National Security Operation”.

The third flight with 112 deportees landed at Amritsar airport on Sunday night.

The external affairs ministry remained tightlipped on this weekend’s deportation flights that landed uncomfortably close to the Prime Minister’s US visit last week.

“If despite @PMOIndia’s visit to USA and meeting with @realDonaldTrump Indians are still being deported back shackled and probably handcuffed like galley slaves in ancient times there can be nothing more shameful for India and Indians,” Congress Lok Sabha member from Chandigarh, Manish Tewari, posted on X.

“Till the time NDA/BJP government is getting schadenfreude (German for pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune) from the humiliation, ignominy and denial of basic human rights being inflicted on our people. What is even more troublesome is the continuing use of US Military Aircraft. As if an attempt is being made to create a new normal with regard to eventual basing rights for the US Military in India. If this is not the case why can’t India send its own commercial aircraft to pick up these economic migrants?’’he asked.