The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a complaint under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999, against e-commerce company Myntra alleging violation of FDI norms. The agency claims that Myntra Designs Private Limited and its associated companies and directors violated foreign direct investment (FDI) rules involving a massive sum of ₹1,654.35 crore.
The complaint was filed by the ED’s Bengaluru Zonal Office. According to the ED, they received credible information that Myntra and its group companies were involved in multi-brand retail trading (MBRT), even though they had claimed to operate as a “wholesale cash and carry” business. This goes against the FDI rules that were in place at the time.
As part of the probe, ED found that Myntra had declared itself as a wholesale business to attract foreign investment. It then received over ₹1,654 crore in FDI from overseas investors. However, the ED says that Myntra was mostly selling its goods to a related company named Vector E-Commerce Pvt Ltd. Vector then sold the products directly to individual customers online.
The ED pointed out that both Myntra and Vector are part of the same group, and Vector was essentially used as a middleman to make it look like business-to-business (B2B) sales were happening. In reality, it was a case of business-to-customer (B2C) selling—something that is not allowed under the wholesale FDI policy.
According to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy changes made in April and October of 2010, only up to 25% of sales can be made to group companies if a business claims to be “wholesale cash and carry.” But Myntra, as per ED, was making 100% of its sales to Vector, which violates these rules.
The ED has said that Myntra and its related entities have broken Section 6(3)(b) of FEMA, 1999, and also violated the 2010 FDI policy norms.
Myntra responds
After the ED’s announcement, Myntra, which is owned by Walmart Inc., said they haven’t officially received any copy of the complaint or related documents from the authorities. “We haven’t received any notice yet,” Myntra said in a short statement quoted by Reuters. “But we are fully ready to cooperate whenever needed.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the Maldives for the first time since Mohamed Muizzu became the President. Muizzu won the elections in November 2023 and came to power. Prior to that, he had led the “India Out” campaign. There had also been tensions between the two countries over the promotion of Lakshadweep as a tourism hub. Two Maldivian ministers had to resign due to objectionable remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Now, as India and the Maldives celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations, PM Modi’s historic visit is taking place. When Muizzu visited India last October, India launched RuPay cards in the Maldives. In recent years, the Maldives has often been described as a close ally of China, but even then, if it realizes that it cannot move forward by ignoring India, there are certain reasons behind this.
One such key reason, which we will discuss in this article, not only proved to be a ‘Sanjivini Booti’ for the Maldives but also reflects India’s generosity and the principle of winning hearts through the philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the world is one family).
India’s timely $50 Million support steadies Maldives amid economic turbulence
Small island economies like the Maldives are especially susceptible to economic shocks amid the choppy waters of global finance. A credit downgrade was imminent, and the Maldives’ foreign exchange reserves were severely strained due to its tourism-driven economy and high external debt. Despite India’s State Bank of India subscription of USD50 million on government issued Treasury Bills by Maldives in May 2024 economy remained turbulent. SBI renewed the subscriptionof USD50 million at the Maldivian government’s request, the previous subscription, which was scheduled to mature on September 19, 2024, has now been extended.
The Maldives thanked India for providing a $50 million Government Treasury Bill, which helped the island nation in its efforts to achieve economic stability through fiscal reform. “Timely assistance from India reflects the close friendship between the two countries and will support the government’s ongoing efforts to implement fiscal reforms for economic resilience,” Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel wrote on X.
I express my sincere gratitude to EAM @DrSJaishankar and the Government of #India for extending crucial financial support to the #Maldives through the rollover of the USD 50 million Treasury Bill.
This timely assistance reflects the close bonds of friendship between #Maldives &…
In terms of India’s “Neighbourhood First” strategy and Vision MAHASAGAR – Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, the Maldives is a crucial maritime neighbour and partner. Together with India’s earlier decision this year to extend a special quota for essential commodity exports to the Maldives, the Treasury Bill subscription highlights the two countries’ strong bilateral ties and New Delhi’s ongoing commitment to the welfare of the Maldivians.
RBI’s $757 million currency swap strengthens Maldives’ reserves and credit outlook
In light of this, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) offered the Maldives a $400 million currency swap through the SAARC Currency Swap Framework and 30 billion Indian Rupees ($357 million) under INR Swap window. In addition to temporarily stabilising the Maldivian economy, this action increased investor confidence and avoided a further credit rating downgrade.
This article examines how the RBI’s intervention boosted the Maldives’ foreign reserves, improved its creditworthiness, and demonstrated India’s strategic financial diplomacy in the Indian Ocean region.
A currency swap is essentially an agreement between two central banks to exchange currencies and provide liquidity support to the recipient country. The pandemic and global economic slowdowns had a significant impact on the Maldives, which relies significantly on tourism (which accounts for more than 70% of its foreign currency inflows). Imports of essentials such as fuel and food further strained reserves. The RBI’s $757 million swap occurred at a time when the Maldives’ import cover was dropping below safe levels, and repayment of foreign debt appeared difficult.
The agreement came on the same day i.e 7th October 2024 when Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The $400 million swap line, which is also available in Euros, will help the Maldives meet its foreign exchange needs, according to the MMA. It further stated that the $357 million rupee line will make it easier to settle trade in local currencies.
Prior to the swap, the Maldives’ foreign exchange reserves were decreasing as a result of falling tourism receipts and growing import costs. The MMA said the Maldives’ total Foreign Exchange reserves stood at $443.9 million at the end of August, down from $694.2 million at the same time last year. The Maldives’ foreign exchange reserves were instantly increased by a currency swap from a large economy like India, guaranteeing that the country could pay for external debt servicing and necessary imports.
India helps Maldives to avoid credit downgrade and stabilize its reserves
Foreign reserves are a crucial metric used by credit rating agencies such as Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch to assess a nation’s capacity to fulfil its external commitments. Downgrades frequently follow a significant reduction in reserves or an increase in external vulnerability, which raises the cost of borrowing for the nation.
In August 2024, Fitch downgraded Maldivian bonds to CC from CCC+, indicating a high risk of default. The rating agency stated that rising public debt would limit the Maldives’ ability to get additional financial help from overseas. On September 11, 2024, Moody’s Ratings (Moody’s) lowered the Government of Maldives’ long-term local and foreign currency issuer ratings from Caa1 to Caa2, and the downgrade was reviewed.
India has expressed pleasure with the recent increase in Maldives’ foreign exchange reserves, citing the smooth implementation of a currency swap agreement between the two countries. In a post on X, the Indian High Commission in the Maldives stated that the increase in the Maldives Monetary Authority’s reserves was primarily due to the $400 million drawdown under the currency swap agreement with the Reserve Bank of India in October 2024.
India notes with satisfaction that the FX reserves increase in Maldives was driven by the $400 million drawdown under a currency swap between MMA & RBI in Oct 24, which alleviated imminent external liquidity strains as noted by Fitch credit rating for Maldives. pic.twitter.com/VQN2FFG2AL
Fitch Ratings noted Gross foreign exchange reserves stood at USD816 million in May 2025, boosted by a USD400 million drawdown under a currency swap agreement signed by the Maldives Monetary Authority with the Reserve Bank of India in October 2024.
The RBI’s currency swap demonstrated to credit rating agencies and global investors that the Maldives had significant financial support from a key regional power. This averted the risk of a credit downgrade, preserving the Maldives’ sovereign rating and preventing an increase in foreign borrowing rates.
Currents of stability: India’s currency swap rescues Maldives
The Maldives is strategically located in the Indian Ocean, and India has consistently positioned itself as the region’s “net security provider”. Extending financial support during a critical period boosted bilateral relations and demonstrated India’s economic leadership. India’s prompt financial involvement through the RBI swap confirmed New Delhi’s position as a reliable partner and quietly resisted Beijing’s expanding influence.
EAM Dr. S Jaishankar speaking at the Indian Ocean Conference 2025: Voyage to New Horizons of Maritime Partnership on February 16, 2025, highlighted New Delhi’s role in stabilising Indian Ocean economies and communities that were under stress. He used the example of India’s $4 billion financial package to Sri Lanka to help stabilise the island nation’s economy, which had fallen into a crisis.
The Maldives was saved from a reserve crisis, its currency was stabilised, and its credit rating was preserved thanks to the RBI’s $400 million currency swap. The importance of regional cooperation and India’s crucial role in maintaining economic stability in its neighbourhood were more significantly reaffirmed. In addition to improving the Maldives’ financial situation, India’s prompt assistance boosted its own strategic location in the Indian Ocean.
Although the swap provides temporary respite, in order to develop long-term resilience, the Maldives must now concentrate on debt management, economic diversification, and fiscal reforms.
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday, 23rd July, informed the Bombay High Court about its new policy regarding the immersion of Plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesh idols during Ganeshotsav. According to the policy, only idols taller than 5 feet will be allowed to be immersed in natural water bodies like rivers, lakes, and the sea. All idols that are 5 feet or shorter must be immersed in artificial water tanks created by local authorities.
The State’s Advocate General (AG), Dr. Birendra Saraf, presented this plan before the division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne. He told the court that about 1.96 lakh Ganesh idols fall under the 5-foot limit and will be mandatorily immersed in artificial tanks. On the other hand, around 7,000 idols are more than 5 feet tall and will be allowed for natural immersion, with the condition that they will be removed from the water the next morning to protect the environment.
However, the judges were not fully convinced by this proposal. Chief Justice Aradhe raised concerns that immersing 7,000 PoP idols in natural water bodies could seriously harm the environment.
He asked the AG why the state couldn’t consider immersing slightly taller idols, say up to 7 or 8 feet, in artificial tanks as well. “7,000 is a huge number,” CJ Aradhe noted. “Why not keep even the 7 or 8-foot-tall idols in artificial tanks to reduce environmental damage?”
In response, AG Saraf explained that immersing idols taller than 7 feet in artificial tanks was logistically difficult. A 10-foot idol, he said, could take up an entire tank by itself, leaving no space for others. He added that since PoP is not biodegradable, it does not dissolve easily in water. That is why the government has instructed local civic bodies to remove these idols from natural water bodies the very next morning after immersion.
The judges further questioned how many idols fall into the 5- to 10-foot category. AG Saraf replied that approximately 3,869 idols are between 5 and 10 feet tall, and more than 3,900 idols are taller than 10 feet.
The court again asked the State to rethink its policy and check if idols up to 7 or 8 feet could also be shifted to artificial tanks. CJ Aradhe said the court’s main concern was minimising the environmental impact of the immersions.
The bench then postponed the hearing till Thursday and asked the government to come back with a clearer stand on the matter. The judges also said they will issue temporary directions for this year’s Ganesh festival, but will keep the case open for a final decision later.
A Hindu girl from Goa arrived at Panjab University to pursue her studies where Kashmiri students persuaded her to embrace Islam. As a result of their influence, SB Krishna transformed into Ayesha. This case showcases how a girl was trapped in the conversion network linked to Agra.
According to media reports, Ayesha established multiple WhatsApp groups to solicit funds and maintained contact with prominent individuals through these channels. She also received assistance from the gang leader Abdul Rehman who was apprehended in Delhi. Several revelations about her have surfaced during police inquiry.
Kashmiri students facilitated the conversion of a Hindu girl from Goa
Ayesha hails from Goa and she was known as SB Krishna prior to her conversion. She enrolled at Panjab University to pursue an MSc in Data Science in 2020. During her time there, she was befriended by several students from Kashmir. They brainswashed her and highlighted the advantages of performing Namaz and donning a burqa. Over time, she began to be swayed by these manipulative ideas.
Subsequently, the students accompanied Krishna to Kashmir and she stayed with them for several days. Meanwhile, her parents were oblivious to this situation. The family members lodged a report in Delhi concerning their daughter’s disappearance. After many days, returned to Delhi alone as she did not like the valley.
Her family then took her to Goa and confiscated her mobile phone. As a result, she lost touch with all her friends and some persons connected to the conversion gang that she was acquainted with at that time. However, after six months, she escaped again and headed to Kolkata where she became Muslim and adopted the name Ayesha.
Her involvement with the group commenced in Kolkata where she started fundraising for conversion activities and utilized them for this nefarious purpose.
6 individuals who were formerly Hindus were part of the gang
Similar to Ayesha, five other accused joined the gang after their conversion. The police nabbed them from different states. Mohammad Ali, who was arrested in Jaipur, was formerly known as Piyush Pawar. He converted to Islam after developing a romantic relationship with a Muslim woman in order to marry her.
However, she left him after some time. Afterward, he married another Muslim girl from Bareilly. He became affiliated with the outlawed Popular Front of India (PFI) organization through the assistance of Kaleem Siddiqui. He began teaching religious studies in Kolkata as he was associated the jihadi organization. He met Ayesha there and received financial support from her to initiate conversion activities.
Another accused, Mohammad Ibrahim previously known as Reeth Banik, arranged for the arrival of two sisters from Agra to Kolkata. The gang leader, Abdul Rehman, who resided in Firozabad also converted to Islam. He was known as Mahendra Pal Jadoun before his conversion.
Kaleem Siddiqui operated the gang
Abdul Rehman, who has been taken into custody by the police in Delhi’s Mustafabad was known to be the one managing the conversion gang. However, a shocking truth was unveiled during the interrogation. It was uncovered that Maulana (Muslim cleric) Kaleem Siddiqui, who is serving a life sentence in prison is the brains behind the operation and Rehman worked for him.
Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested the former in a mass conversion case in 2021. He along with eleven accomplices was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2024 and has been carrying out his activities through Rehman since then.
Agra girl was prepared to become a Mujahida
Two siblings from Agra, who were rescued from Kolkata were converted and indoctrinated similar to that of Salafi Muslims. One of the sisters was so profoundly impacted that she even became a Mujahida (female jihadi), indicating her readiness to sacrifice her life. She expressed a desire not to return home even after their rescue.
Simultaneously, Mohammad Ibrahim informed the police that Hindu girls were subjected to tales about the Mughal rule. They were shown videos depicting Muslim rulers governing India which not only led to their conversion but also made them willing to sacrifice themselves. As per media reports, the authorities have retrieved several videos from the phone of Ayesha, who converted the sisters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seen inaugurating the Ram Mandir, accompanied by a voiceover from an Islamic fundamentalist declaring, “Enough temples have been constructed in Somnath, now they should be demolished,” in one of the clips.
Meanwhile, the police reported that the sisters were wearing hijabs when they arrived to save them. How, they hid and refused to return, claiming to have discovered their purpose. The female officers counseled the sisters and they were safely returned to Agra. The cops even discovered images featuring an AK-47 on the social media accounts of one of the girls.
The investigating agency suspects that the sisters might have been involved in an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-module. Extensive conversations have also been disclosed with Abdul Rehman on social media. The sisters were being indoctrinated to die and kill in the name of Islam. All of these conversations have been documented in the case file being compiled against the culprits. The police are actively investigating the matter and are working to identify the victims.
In a big win for the BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the Supreme Court refused to stay the order issued by both governments to display and scan QR codes in restaurants on 22nd July. The court said that the Kanwar Yatra is about to end, so its validity will not be considered now.
The top court has said that customers have the right to know whether non-veg was prepared in the restaurant earlier or not.
A division bench of Justice MM Sundaresh and Justice NK Singh dismissed the petition filed against the UP government’s order to install QR codes in restaurants.
The court has ordered the hotels and restaurants to follow the order of displaying their name and registration number as per the rules.
The apex court said that customers have the right to know whether the restaurant serves only vegetarian food or both vegetarian and non-vegetarian.
Highlighting that it is a matter of customers’ choice, the court said that if non-veg was served in the restaurant earlier, then this information should also be given to the customers.
Appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, said, “There are people in this country who do not eat non-vegetarian food at their brother’s house. The sentiments of devotees are also involved.”
The Supreme Court said that if vegetarian food is served in a restaurant throughout the year and non-veg is also being sold there, then the customer should know this because the customer is the king.
Furthermore, the court said that some people do not eat garlic and onion, and some do not even like to eat in non-vegetarian restaurants. In such a situation, the choice of the customers should be taken care of.
The court said that the license indicates whether it is a veg restaurant, a non-veg restaurant or both. It does not matter much who the shopkeeper is, rather, the customer should know what is cooked at the restaurant.
The Trump administration is implementing major reforms to the way H-1B visas are granted. In a filing submitted on July 17 to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed a “weighted selection process” for applicants under the visa cap system.
H-1B visas have consistently sparked political debate, particularly among President Donald Trump and his supporters, who have frequently disagreed with prominent figures such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk over immigration policies.
This visa program plays a vital role for US tech companies, enabling them to recruit highly skilled foreign professionals, many of whom are from India.
Indian nationals continue to be the primary recipients of H-1B visas. In 2022, they were granted 77% of the 320,000 approved visas. This dominance remained in fiscal year 2023, with Indians receiving 72.3% of the 386,000 visas issued.
How was Trump preparing for this?
The properly planned structure and its proposal indicate, Trump and his administration were working on this for a long time. The DHS filing provides few details about the weighted selection process that will follow, which further clarifies that the change could hamper the statutorily capped portion of the programme, currently limited to 85,000 visas per year.
Out of this, 20,000 are reserved for workers having a master’s degree. It is also crucial to note that the US citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will remain the key agency responsible for handling visa applications.
Currently, via a lottery system, the H-1B visas are distributed. This treats all applicants equally regardless of qualification or employer. Large firms like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft submit high volumes of applicants. These applicants’ results in securing a bigger share of available visas. In the policy, universities and research institutions are not part of the annual cap, which allowed to hire foreign talent year-round.
How could the visa threaten Indians?
Indians have had a longstanding connection with the H-1B visa program, which has played a crucial role in shaping the Indian-American success story in the United States. According to a BBC report, the H-1B visa has been instrumental in making Indian-Americans one of the highest-earning and most highly educated groups, whether immigrant or native, in the country.
US-based scholars Sanjoy Chakravorty, Devesh Kapur, and Nirvikar Singh observed that recent Indian immigrants differ significantly from earlier arrivals. The newer wave includes more speakers of Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu, and has seen a shift in settlement patterns from traditional hubs like New York and Michigan to growing communities in California and New Jersey. This evolution, driven largely by the skilled worker visa program, has effectively redrawn the “map of Indian-Americans.”
Though the H-1B is a temporary work visa, it allows foreign professionals to live and work in the US for up to six years. During this time, many apply for permanent residency through employment-based green card categories, often with employer sponsorship. However, the process is notoriously slow. Currently, over a million Indians, including family members, are stuck in the green card backlog. “Getting a green card means signing up for an endless wait of 20 to 30 years,” says Atal Agarwal, the founder of an Indian firm that uses AI to explore global education and job visa options.
Amid this backdrop, the Trump administration’s abrupt changes to the H-1B visa policy have raised concerns. The revised regulations may pose serious challenges not only to Indian professionals already in the U.S. but also to those planning to move there under the H-1B program.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has found major differences in the voter roll of Bihar through a special verification campaign referred to as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The ECI reported that approximately 18 lakh enrolled voters have died, 26 lakh have shifted, and 7 lakh names are duplicates.
The ECI revealed that nearly 97.30% of Bihar’s total 7.89 crore voters have completed the enumeration forms till now. That is more than 7.68 crore voters have already replied.
Officers such as the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), District Election Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are coordinating with political party workers to sanitize the voters’ list. The ECI has also published a list of 21.36 lakh voters whose forms are yet to be submitted, and approximately 52.30 lakh names of individuals who are deceased, have migrated permanently, or are listed in more than one location.
The ECI further stated that the BLOs and EROs are providing detailed lists of such voters to all political parties so that the process remains transparent. The people will be allowed a complete one-month period in order to object to or make corrections on names being added or removed from the voter list.
Opposition raises concerns
But the Opposition is strongly criticising this exercise. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has charged the NDA alliance with attempting to delete names of people from the voter roll. She complained that voter rolls were inflated in Maharashtra elections, and now, voters are being deleted in Bihar in the guise of revision.
She stated, “Earlier, in Maharashtra, votes were tampered with by padding electoral rolls. Now, in Bihar, efforts are being made to do the same by deleting voters’ names. The ‘vote ban’ under the pretext of SIR is a plot to grab the right to vote given by the Constitution. We oppose every attempt to crush the Constitution.”
SIR exercise in Bihar
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is being conducted in Bihar to revise the voters’ lists for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. This kind of intensive revision occurred in the state for the last time in 2003. Due to changes such as urban migration, fatalities, new young voters, and the problem of illegal immigrants, a new verification became necessary.
BLOs have been designated to go to houses and ensure the rolls are correct. The objective is straightforward: to register all legitimate voters, eliminate illegitimate ones, and maintain transparency in the procedure.
The elections for the Bihar Assembly are scheduled later in the year sometime around October or November, but the official release date has not been declared yet.
In the Agra Islamic conversion racket case involving conversion of two Hindu sisters to Islam, shocking revelations have been made. the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) have arrested mastermind Abdul Rehman from the Mustafabad area of Delhi. The police had also rescued a Dalit Hindu girl named Mamta from Haryana, who had been brought there for conversion. Now, the girl rescued girl has become a government witness in the case.
The UP ATS and the police are tracing one Junaid, a member of the same Islamic conversion racket based on the information provided by the rescued Dalit Hindu girl.
In the police investigation, the connection of Shaheen Bagh, which was the hotspot of anti-CAA protests in 2019, has also come to the fore in the present case. During interrogation, the girl told the investigators, “I was being brainwashed. They kept me in a hostel in Shaheen Bagh, Delhi. Abdul Rehman Qureshi took me to his house, converted me there and got me married to Junaid. Then they were preparing to send me to Kolkata.”
She added that there were many girls in that hostel, however, only those girls who refused to convert to Islam were raped.
On being asked about accused Junaid and how she came in contact with him, the Dalit Hindu girl said, “In 2019, I became friends with Junaid from Delhi on Facebook. Slowly I started sharing my problems with him. My father works in a factory and the financial condition of the house is not very strong. Junaid used to insist on meeting me, but I did not go to meet him.”
She added that in November 2024, her wedding was fixed and when she informed Junaid about this, the accused allegedly began pressuring her to leave everything for the sake of Allah and come to him.
“I left home 12 days before the wedding after being influenced by Junaid’s words and came to Delhi. Junaid made me stay in a hostel in Shaheen Bagh. A Maulana came there and started telling me about Islam. He said that there is nothing in Hinduism. Then a girl was sent to me. She showed me some Islamic videos,” the girl told the authorities.
When asked about how the conversion to Islam happened, the girl said that Junaid took her to main accused Abdul Rehman, who asked several questions to analyse the extent of brainwashing she had been subjected to.
The girl said that Junaid would not allow her to establish any contact with her family and that she was converted to Islam and had Nikah with Junaid in April 2025. The two, however, did not stay together as per Abdul Rehman’s instructions.
After conversion to Islam, the Dalit Hindu girl’s name was changed to Shifa. It has emerged that Junaid is already married, has a child, and that the Hindu victim was aware of this. Abdul Rehman had told her that everything is permissible in his religion.
When the police questioned about other girls in Shaheen Bagh, the girl said, “I was kept in a hostel in Shaheen Bagh, Delhi for a long time. There were other girls in that hostel. No one is allowed to talk to anyone. All day long, my mind was poisoned against Hinduism. Muslim girls surrounded me and told me the supposed virtues of Islam. This was the daily routine there. All this goes on until you surrender yourself to Islam.”
She added that the Muslim girls brainwashing non-Muslim girls used to tell that Qayamat (Doomsday) will come. Everything will be ruined. “A mountain of troubles will fall on my family. I used to get scared on hearing all this,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Agra Police has deployed a team to Delhi to arrest Junaid. The police said that Junaid used to trap young Hindu girls, especially from poor families, on Facebook and lured them to convert to Islam. The police said that these newly-converted Hindu girls were to be trained as Mujahida(s) or female Jihadis.
ISIS-style Islamic conversion racket exposed in Agra
After busting a massive Islamic conversion racket in Balrampur, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad, exposed a large-scale Islamic religious conversion and radicalisation syndicate that operated with tactics mirroring those of the ISIS rooted in Agra.
The racket, which spanned across six Indian states, involved terror funding through the dark web and targeted vulnerable Hindu women and minors through coercion, deception, and ‘love jihad’. The ATS’s operation led to the arrest of ten individuals from Delhi, Goa, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
As reported earlier, the 10 accused arrested by the Agra Police from Delhi, Goa, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, have been identified as Aisha alias S.B. Krishna (Kolkata, West Bengal), Osama (Kolkata, West Bengal), Rehman Qureshi (Agra, UP), Abbu Tariq (Muzaffarnagar, UP), Abdur Rehman (Dehradun, Uttarakhand), Mohammad Ali (Jaipur, Rajasthan), Junaid Qureshi (Jaipur Rajasthan), Mustafa alias Manoj (Delhi), and Mohammad Ali (Jaipur, Rajasthan).
The accused have been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Sections 87, 111(3), and 111(4)) and the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.
On 21st July 2025, the Anti-Terrorism Squad and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) arrested mastermind Abdul Rehman from the Mustafabad area of Delhi. Abdul Rehman, originally from Firozabad, was earlier a Hindu named Mahendra Pal. He had converted to Christianity first, and later converted to Islam. His involvement in the racket was reportedly inspired by jailed cleric Kaleem Siddiqui, who is currently serving a life sentence for running a similar conversion network.
During questioning, the accused persons who are mostly Hindus converted to Islam, said that they were taught that converting others was the only way to attain heaven, or “jannat,” and they began to actively target vulnerable people, calling it “adding new relations.”
Two sisters had gone missing from Agra’s Sadar Bazar area. One of the sister’s photo with an AK-47 was shared on social media which prompted the investigation. During questioning, the girls told the police they were willing to return home, but only on the condition that the arrested accused be released. According to them, those arrested had done nothing wrong and were only “serving religion.” The sisters claimed that if the accused remained in jail, none of them would go to heaven.
Mission Asmita: Coordinated crackdown on conversion syndicates
The entire operation is part of Mission Asmita, a state-wide campaign initiated by the UP Government to eliminate threats to national security stemming from foreign-funded religious conversions, radicalisation, and communal subversion.
As DGP Krishna confirmed, coordination with national agencies is ongoing, and custodial remand for the accused will be sought to unravel the full scope of the conspiracy. Specialised agencies including the ATS and STF have been roped in due to the terror-linked nature of the case.
A grievous assault on a man of Indian origin in Tallaght, Dublin, has triggered diplomatic outrage and rekindled global conversations about rising racism against Indians, particularly Hindus, in the West. While the attack itself was disturbing, what sparked further indignation was how Irish mainstream media chose to report the incident.
Instead of unequivocally condemning the brutality, reports used language that cast doubt on the nature of the crime, referring to it as an “alleged assault” despite the visible and horrific injuries sustained by the victim. This minimisation of violence, which bore all the hallmarks of a racially motivated hate crime, was called out in strong terms by the Indian Ambassador to Ireland, Akhilesh Mishra.
Ambassador Akhilesh Mishra exposes media bias over assault against an Indian origin man
Ambassador Mishra’s comments came with images of news reports that chose to cast doubt over the victim’s trauma, a strategy not unfamiliar to those tracking media narratives targeting Hindus globally. In doing so, Mishra highlighted an uncomfortable truth: that certain Western media institutions would rather gaslight Indian victims than confront the racial or ideological motivations behind such hate crimes.
The incident: A false accusation, brutal assault, and media whitewashing
The Indian man, who had arrived in Ireland just three weeks earlier, was assaulted and partially stripped in public in Tallaght on Saturday evening, July 19. According to The Irish Times, a mob confronted the man and falsely accused him of acting inappropriately around children, claims that were later disseminated online as part of a digital witch-hunt.
Irish police (Gardaí) have since confirmed that no evidence exists to support the accusations, yet the man was violently attacked, left bleeding, and taken to Tallaght University Hospital with serious injuries. Gardaí are now investigating the case as a possible hate crime, and there is speculation that the attack was racially motivated.
Local councillor Baby Pereppadan (Fine Gael) visited the victim and said he remains in shock and is not taking visitors. “Small incidents like these are happening frequently in Tallaght,” he warned, urging stronger police deployment in the area.
Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe condemned the mob action as “vile and utterly unacceptable.” “Anyone who thinks this sort of mindless, racist violence makes their community safer is lying and fooling no one. This is not the first such attack in our area but it has to be the last,” he said.
A pattern of dehumanisation: Global racism targeting Hindus
While people of colour, especially Africans and South-East Asians, have long faced discrimination in the West, the treatment meted out to Indians, and Hindus in particular, reveals a unique and consistent pattern of prejudice. Hindus are not just exoticised or mocked; they are systematically demonised, dehumanised, and often blamed for the crimes of their persecutors.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the disturbing trends on social media platforms where Hindu identity, symbols, and customs are routinely mocked with impunity.
From derogatory “cow piss” jibes to offensive caricatures of Hindu deities, the Hinduphobia is not just a cultural issue; it is a civilisational struggle where polytheistic traditions and Sanatan values are targeted by both far-left ideologues and right-wing supremacists, particularly in the West.
One need only look at the case of Stew Peters, a self-styled “America First” commentator who in 2024 described Hindus as “dot-headed cockroaches,” falsely alleging that Indians smear cow dung on their faces. Or Laura Loomer, who launched a xenophobic tirade against Indian-American Sriram Krishnan following his appointment to a senior AI policy position at the White House, calling Indians “third-world invaders.”
The vitriol extended far beyond individuals. Hindu deities like Maa Kali and Lord Ganesha were called “supervillains,” “demonic,” and “unfit for a first-world Christian country.” These sentiments are not just isolated outbursts but part of a coordinated campaign to otherise and vilify the Hindu community, especially those living proudly and unapologetically in the diaspora.
And this bigotry is undergirded by latent racism against Indians, particularly Hindus, and it rises to the surface every now and then, in both physical and psychological form —from attacking them literally as witnessed in Dublin to more sophisticated forms of assault — Hindumisic conferences organised in western universities that serve to legitimise such racism and give way to its more dangerous siblings, bigotry and dehumanisation.
The “Dismantling Global Hindutva” Conference: Institutionalised hatred of Hindus
Perhaps the most blatant example of institutionalised Hinduphobia came in the form of the “Dismantling Global Hindutva” conference held in September 2021. Sponsored by over 60 academic departments from 45+ universities, primarily in the United States, the three-day event brought together some of the most vocal and virulent anti-Hindu activists in academia and media.
The speakers list read like a who’s who of Hindumisia, including Audrey Truschke, Anand Patwardhan, Nandini Sundar, and Neha Dixit, individuals known for drawing false equivalences between Hindutva and Nazism. Ironically, the event’s poster depicted an inverted hammer violently uprooting a saffron-clad RSS Swayamsevak, a visual metaphor for the organised dismantling of Hindu civilisational identity.
The hammer, disguised as a pencil, was meant to portray “academic critique,” but its Nazi-esque symbolism mirrored the Röhm Putsch imagery of Nazi propaganda, where ‘eliminating violent elements’ was used to justify political murders. In this case, the target wasn’t a rogue militia. It was a symbolic attack on Hindus who dare to be assertive about their culture and beliefs.
The points of discussion during the conference followed a classic Goebbelsian propaganda template: select a few emotive triggers, repeat them endlessly, and cast your enemies as the threat to civilisation. It’s a strategy that paves the way for dehumanisation and, eventually, justifies violence.
The RSS or other Hindu organisations targeted aren’t paramilitary thugs. They are groups that aid flood victims, rescue women from trafficking, or assist during pandemics, tasks most self-proclaimed ‘liberal saviours’ wouldn’t touch. So why label them “militant”?
Because self-defence, cultural reclamation, and Hindu unity threaten the ideological monopoly of Islamists, Marxists, and global evangelists.
Research reveals a disturbing surge in Hinduphobic slurs and hate speech across social media platforms
A comprehensive 2023 study by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) lends credence to Mishra’s concerns. The report, ‘Quantitative Methods for Investigating Anti-Hindu Disinformation’, found a sharp rise in derogatory and genocidal content targeting Hindus across platforms like 4Chan, Telegram, Gab, and Twitter. These include memes and slurs such as “pajeet”, a racial epithet used to mock and dehumanise Hindus, alongside visual propaganda depicting Hindu symbols like tilaks and saffron clothing being subjected to ISIS-style beheadings or Nazi-style executions. The analysis also showed that the usage of such coded hate terms surged dramatically around key geopolitical events involving India, indicating coordinated disinformation efforts.
Perhaps most alarmingly, the NCRI discovered that Iranian state-sponsored troll networks were deeply involved in disseminating Hinduphobic content, often under fake Pakistani identities. These accounts strategically amplified hashtags and tropes accusing Hindus of genocide, inflaming caste divisions, and misrepresenting communal incidents like the 2020 Delhi riots. The trolls pretended to be human rights activists while tagging major news outlets like CNN and MSNBC to internationalise their narrative. This manipulation of digital platforms for geopolitical ends shows that Hinduphobia is not merely social bigotry; it is being weaponised as a tool of hybrid warfare.
The incident in Dublin, therefore, is not just a case of individual victimisation, it is a symptom of a transnational campaign to dehumanise Hindus in both physical and ideological realms. The assault, followed by media whitewashing, echoes the same patterns identified in the NCRI report: digital dehumanisation leading to real-world violence. Mishra’s remarks, then, are not only a defence of one man’s dignity but a broader call to recognise and confront the systemic erasure of Hindu identity under the guise of liberal tolerance.
From Anti-CAA protests to Digital pogroms
The dehumanisation of Hindus gained major momentum during the anti-CAA protests in India. Posters morphed the sacred Om into Nazi swastikas, women wearing bindis were portrayed as oppressors, and slogans like “Hinduon se Azadi” (Freedom from Hindus) echoed across protest sites. The song “Jab sab but tod diye jaayenge, bas Allah ka naam rahega” (“When all idols are broken, only Allah’s name shall remain”) was not fringe. It was mainstream. And it was celebrated.
This same contempt now fuels the global narrative, where being a proud Hindu in the West is considered an act of aggression, and where Indian immigrants are seen not as contributors, but cultural contaminants.
Are Hindus “invading” the West?
Contrary to the far-right and leftist narrative, Hindus aren’t flooding Western countries. As per Pew Research (2024):
Hindus make up only 5% of the global migrant population. Though 94% of Hindus live in India, only 57% of global Hindu migrants are from India. In contrast, Christians form 47% and Muslims 29% of global migrants.
The “Hindu invasion” is a myth, an imaginary construct, a bogeyman to manufacture hate.
From Dublin to Dismantling Hindutva: A global war on Hindus?
The Dublin assault and its casual dismissal by mainstream media is more than just a reporting failure. It is a symptom of a larger disease — a civilisational bias against Hindus that spans continents, cultures, and ideologies.
From hate crimes on the streets of Ireland and America to academic witch hunts like Dismantling Global Hindutva, Hindus today are not just being targeted physically, but also intellectually, politically, and spiritually.
Ambassador Akhilesh Mishra’s tweet is not just a diplomatic protest; it is a call to wake up. To recognise that being Hindu, wearing saffron, reciting shlokas, or simply existing unapologetically, is enough to be branded a target.
The question is no longer whether Hindus are being demonised. The question is: How long will we pretend that it’s not happening?
How online hatred fuels real-world attacks on Indians and Hindus
The Tallaght assault is a chilling reminder that online hate doesn’t just remain on the internet, it metastasizes into real-world violence.
In this case, false accusations against the Indian victim were first circulated online, accusing him of inappropriate behaviour near children. These baseless claims spread like wildfire on local WhatsApp groups and Facebook pages, ultimately emboldening a mob to hunt him down, strip him, beat him, and leave him bleeding on the street.
This incident mirrors a disturbing trend: social media platforms have become hotbeds for anti-Indian and anti-Hindu bigotry, often driven by coordinated misinformation campaigns and algorithmic amplification of hate.
The Alipore court on Tuesday, July 22, raised a question mark about the government’s functioning if there were complaint cases filed previously. The court asked what the government was doing if there were at least 12 complaints lodged since 2023, which were mostly of molestation, against Monojit Mishra, the prime accused in the Kolkata Law College rape case.
Till august 5, the court has extended the judicial custody of Monojit Mishra and the other three accused. All four have been in custody since July 8.
During the hearing, the Monojit’s counsel didn’t plead for bail, instead merged two petitions to allow the presence of the counsels of the accused at the time of interrogation. It also demanded that the mobile phones of the complainant be seized. His counsel claimed that his client is being forced to confess to the allegation during his interrogation. “During his interrogation in jail, officials are pressuring Monojit to confess to all the allegations against him. We are not being allowed to speak to him. Therefore, I request the court to grant permission for meeting him in jail for two hours,” he submitted in the petition. He added, “It is called a correctional centre, but there are no proper amenities there. My client should have access to medical facilities, clean water, books, a pen, and a mosquito net. These should be provided to him.”
Pinaki Banerjee, a college security guard whose name has been also inked in the case as an accused. The counsel of Banerjee questioned whether the section invoked in the FIR was applicable in his client’s case. “I was taken in custody and tortured by the investigators. What was my role in the entire thing? I came to work that fateful night. I am just an employee. I could have been made a witness,” he said on behalf of Banerjee.
Bibash Chattopadhyay, the special public prosecutor, claimed that one person was standing outside the gate while the other was recording it. Through mobile location, it was revealed that all the accused were present at that spot while the crime was being committed.
“When the incident (alleged rape) was taking place, one person was standing guard outside while another was recording it. The guard should have secured the victim, but he instead worked in a manner that allowed the crime to be committed. From our investigation, we have observed from mobile locations that all the accused were present at the same spot at that time. There were 12 cases against Monojit Mishra, mostly of molestation. If he were punished at that time, this might not have happened”, Chattopadhyay said.
Sourin Ghosal, the chief public prosecutor, asserted that to meet with the accused, permission needs to be taken from the jail authorities. “Gait pattern to be done tomorrow. The chargesheet will be filed at the earliest and the government will go for trial,” Ghosal said. The court responded that, “If the complaints are from 2023 what was the government doing?” Besides Monojit Mishra, a contractual staffer at the college and a TMC students’ wing functionary, and Pinaki Banerjee, the police have arrested Zaib Ahmed (19) and Pramit Mukherjee (20), both students, in connection with the June 25 incident.
A 24-year-old female student from South Calcutta Law College was allegedly raped and tortured in the guard’s room inside the college premises on June 25. Within a few days, on June 28, the Kolkata police arrested four accused: Monojit Mishra (31), a college alumnus and the staff, the current students Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20) and Zaib Ahmed (19), and Pinaki Banerjee (55), the college security guard who was on duty at that time.
During a court hearing, the public prosecutor revealed that when the survivor suffered a panic attack, an inhaler was brought, not out of concern, but so she could recover just enough to be brutalised again. The survivor in her complaint stated that after using the inhaler, she tried to escape but was dragged to the security room, where she was allegedly raped while the others recorded the assault.
