Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday said that his government is taking strict action against travel agents, who were involved in sending youth abroad through ‘dunki’ routes. He further added that the government will introduce a law aimed at controlling illegal immigration strictly. The proposed legislation will be presented in the upcoming budget session, said CM Saini.
US Deportation Row
As part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants by the Donald Trump administration, a US military aircraft brought back 104 illegal Indian immigrants last week. Of these deportees, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh.
Haryana CM ensures action
Chief Minister Saini said those involved in sending the state's youths abroad through illegal ('dunki') routes are being identified and strict action will be taken against them.
He reiterated that the state government will introduce a law aimed at controlling illegal immigration strictly.
Haryana youth shares his ordeal
Recounting the horror faced by 27-year-old Robin Handa, who was among the deportees, his father Manjit Singh said his son travelled across Guyana, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala, crossed a sea and passed through jungles, staying hungry for days, to reach the Mexico-US border.
Handa, who studied till class 12, left his native Ismailabad village in Haryana's Kurukshetra district on July 18 last year and by the time he reached the US border, he had paid Rs 45 lakh to different agents while his mobile phone was also snatched, his father claimed.
He was handed over to the "immigration mafia" in Mexico and they tortured him for money. Here he gave them Rs 20 lakh, Singh said. With the dreams of an improved financial condition in ruins, Singh now blames the travel agent for defrauding them with the false promise of getting Handa settled in the US.
What are 'dunki' routes?
Becoming popular in common parlance following the release of Shah Rukh Khan's "Dunki" in 2023, it refers to illegal immigration that involves crossing borders through covert stops in multiple countries, mostly facilitated by agents.
(With agency inputs)