NRC protesters among hundreds of NRIs deported from Saudi Arabia

The foreign workers who violate local laws are required to return home through deportation centres.

Jeddah: A group of NRI workers, who protested against the proposed NRC in Saudi Arabia, were sent back home recently.

A small group of NRIs, mainly from Bihar, held a protest holding placards in downtown Balad in Jeddah last year, and were arrested for violating rules that prohibit any kind of assembly or protest. Since then, they were in custody.

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Besides them, some more NRIs employed in maintenance companies, who were arrested for begging at traffic signals, were also among some hundreds of NRIs languishing in various deportation centres in Saudi Arabia for the last few months. They too were deported back home.

Unlike in the past when most NRIs hailed from southern parts of the country, there are many now hailing from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal who have been apprehended for various violations in general and visa and employment rules.

The foreign workers who violate local laws are required to return home through deportation centres. The deportation of Indians from jails and deportation centres is a routine and standard procedure. However, it was stalled following suspension of flights and Covid-19 protocol, quarantine costs by states, relevant issues in India, that resulted in scores of Indians being stranded.

The process of deportation of stranded NRIs gathered momentum following efforts of Ambassador Dr. Ausaf Saeed, backed by a battery of enthusiastic diplomatic corps in Jeddah and Riyadh. The Ministry of External Affairs successfully pursued various states back home besides various government agencies in Saudi Arabia, according to sources. The repatriation of inmates is a continuous process. However, the logjam has been cleared to a large extent, they said, adding that about 3,000 NRI workers were deported back to India.

Saudi Arabian Airlines has operated a total of 11 deportee flights so far to India. The cost of airfreight is borne by Saudi Arabian government. The deportees’ flights are different from regular and Mission Vande Bharat flights.

Some of the deportees who landed in various Indian airports faced an uphill task reaching home, particularly those from the southern States. Those who landed in New Delhi reportedly started begging for money for onward journey while others from Northern States who landed in south faced a similar problem.

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