New Delhi, Dec. 5 -- Seventy-three-year-old Indian citizen Harjit Kaur was maltreated while in US detention before being deported, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has informed the Parliament. The government has taken up the issue "strongly" with the American embassy following her arrival in the country, the Minister told the Rajya Sabha.

Speaking during the question hour in the upper house, the EAM said that immigration officials of the Indian government routinely interview all deportees upon arrival. In this case, Jaishankar said that the immigration officer clarified that Kaur had not been handcuffed, contrary to some claims.

However, he confirmed that she had been maltreated during her detention in the US before being put on t...