J-10
01-04-2005, 11:04 PM
200 illegal immigrants from India being sent back from Iran
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
DUBAI : About 200 illegal immigrants from India, allegedly pushed into Iran by Turkish security personnel, were being sent back to India in batches after getting temporary shelter in a Tehran gurdwara.
"There are some 70 more people staying at the gurdwara and they are being sent back in batches of 10," Indian Ambassador to Tehran, K C Singh, told.
He said potential job seekers to Greece, mostly from Punjab, come to Jordan and Lebanon as it is easy to get visit visa to those countries. They try to go to Greece through Turkey where they are caught and allegedy subjected to maltreatment by security personnel, before being pushed into Iran.
Singh said those who went back to India have written to the embassy expressing thanks because they could have been put in prison by Iranian authorities as they had no legal documents to be in Iran.
"Iran took a lenient view and allowed them to stay at the gurdwara," he said.
He said some division in the gurdwara managing committees in Tehran also led to one group alleging maltreatment of those who were put up there. "There has been no maltreatment of these people here." As large number of illegal immigrants were put up at the gurdwara, it became difficult for women devotees to go and pray at the shrine, he said.
"It takes time to process the documents which have to be cleared by the labour, immigration and other departments in Tehran," he said.
http://www.kaumudi.com/news/010505/a_ind5.stm
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
DUBAI : About 200 illegal immigrants from India, allegedly pushed into Iran by Turkish security personnel, were being sent back to India in batches after getting temporary shelter in a Tehran gurdwara.
"There are some 70 more people staying at the gurdwara and they are being sent back in batches of 10," Indian Ambassador to Tehran, K C Singh, told.
He said potential job seekers to Greece, mostly from Punjab, come to Jordan and Lebanon as it is easy to get visit visa to those countries. They try to go to Greece through Turkey where they are caught and allegedy subjected to maltreatment by security personnel, before being pushed into Iran.
Singh said those who went back to India have written to the embassy expressing thanks because they could have been put in prison by Iranian authorities as they had no legal documents to be in Iran.
"Iran took a lenient view and allowed them to stay at the gurdwara," he said.
He said some division in the gurdwara managing committees in Tehran also led to one group alleging maltreatment of those who were put up there. "There has been no maltreatment of these people here." As large number of illegal immigrants were put up at the gurdwara, it became difficult for women devotees to go and pray at the shrine, he said.
"It takes time to process the documents which have to be cleared by the labour, immigration and other departments in Tehran," he said.
http://www.kaumudi.com/news/010505/a_ind5.stm