By IANS,
New Delhi: For 12 African nationals languishing in a foreigners’ detention centre in the Indian capital, returning home seems a distant dream despite their acquittal from criminal cases.
In a letter to President Pratibha Patil, Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan, the home ministry and their high commissions, the Africans
have complained about ill-treatment at the Lampur detention centre.
The letter, a copy of which is with IANS, said that many of the Africans,including five women, were arrested on charges of possessing narcotics but were either acquitted or discharged after completing their sentences.
“We have been detained here for the past three months awaiting to go home,” the letter said.
“The authorities are saying we cannot go home as we have not yet completed our sentences. Despite clear directions from the court we are still
languishing here,” it said.
“We belong to respectable families and most of us came to India for genuine purposes. We have never been involved in any (crime) and our credentials can be verified from the high commissions.
“The authorities have impounded our passports. The money our families sent to buy air tickets has not been released to us.
“This is against our right to life and liberty. The authorities say they want to appeal against our acquittal. Trapped here, we cannot even hire a lawyer,” the letter said.
The detainees have also approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) seeking speedy release.
They are upset about lack of amenities like water, food and sanitation at the detention centre.
The Delhi High Court is in the process of framing guidelines for detaining foreign nationals.
According to the new draft guidelines, a detained foreigner should not be kept in custody for long after he or she is acquitted by a court.