Citizens of Indian descent were harassed for hours at the Mumbai airport

(PTI) Mumbai, Ta. 9 June 2020, Tuesday

Five couples from an Indian-American family with an Overseas Citizen of India card alleged that they were harassed by immigration authorities at the Mumbai airport after they arrived from the US. Five couples arrived at the Mumbai airport as part of the Vande Bharat Mission, the biggest exercise by the Indian government to repatriate people of Indian descent stranded abroad due to the Kovid-12 epidemic.

Overseas Citizen of India card holders of certain categories are also allowed to travel during the ban on foreign travel due to the epidemic. OIC cards are issued to people of Indian descent who allow them to travel without a visa in most cases. Close members of the OIC card holders, on condition of anonymity, alleged that they were harassed by immigration officials at the airport for seven hours after arriving in Mumbai from New York.

"You may not be allowed to enter the country and the Indian embassy in the US has no authority," said an official of the OIC cardholder. 'Why do they do that? "After being away from home for a long time and after a long and tiring journey, how did they know what our condition was like? We were detained at the airport for more than necessary," he said.