New Delhi, Feb. 6 -- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said 'the standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft provides for the use of restraints' asserting the possibility that Indian immigrants who were deported from US in a military aircraft were 'handcuffed' and 'chained'. However, this confirmation also potentially contradicted a government statement that denied any such incidence. "The claim that Indian migrants were deported with hands and legs cuffed with chains is FAKE", the PIB statement read.

Jaishankar on Thursday said that the government is engaging with the US to ensure that deported Indians are not mistreated, underlining the focus should be on strong crackdown on the illegal migration industry....