New Delhi: An NRI doctor from California and his woman friend, who is a nurse, were humiliated by immigration officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport on September 29, a media report said quoting his letter sent to the prime minister and NRI Cell in Delhi.
Harmandeep Rai, who belongs to Jalandhar in Punjab, runs a rural health clinic – Urgent Care – in California, English daily Tribune reported.
He along with his woman friend Rupinder Kaur had come India for three days to visit Golden Temple in Amritsar.
In his letter, Harmandeep narrated his ordeal when he arrived at Delhi airport with Rupinder. He has alleged that on arrival, the duo went to the immigration counter where he was cleared to leave, but Rupinder was stopped by the official at the counter.
Harmandeep waited for Rupinder for an hour but when she failed to show up, he enquired from an immigration official who told him to wait for another 30 minutes, said the report.
Two hours later, an immigration official accompanied by his two collegues – Vikas Bhushan and Jaipal – allegedly told Harmandeep that the information on Rupinder’s passport matched with that of someone else. “I asked them to check her fingerprints and passport number,” the report quotes Rai as saying.
Rai demanded to meet their officer-in-charge. “Jaipal asked his colleagues to break my legs. Vikas almost tried punching me, but was stopped by his colleague,” Harmandeep has reportedly alleged in his letter.
After a while, two men in uniform approached Harmandeep and told him to come along to meet their senior officer. On the way, at least eight men, possibly immigration officials, pushed Harmandeep into a room, he claimed.
“They started slapping, kicking and punching me. They forced me on the floor and told me ‘murga ban’. They left and after 20 minutes, a man came and apologised to me for the incident. He asked me to sit on a chair. I was weeping. He told me that I got the treatment because I had questioned their authority,” alleged Harmandeep.
Rai said his friend was questioned in a separate room.
“They questioned her relationship with me and asked her about her daughter’s father in a demeaning manner,” alleged Harmandeep.
The Delhi Police has a different take on the issue.
The police alleged Harmandeep was drunk on arrival. DCP (IGI Airport) Mohammed Irshad Haider said the police had received a complaint from the immigration officials that Harmandeep had abused and assaulted them.