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Union Cabinet approves India-UK FTA to be signed by PM Modi in London: Read how the landmark deal will benefit India

Shriti Sagar
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Union Cabinet approves India-UK FTA to be signed by PM Modi in London: Read how the landmark deal will benefit India

The Union Cabinet approved the free trade agreement (FTA) between India and UK on Tuesday, 22nd July. The deal, officially called the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, is set to be signed on 24th July, in London during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s four-day visit to the United Kingdom and the Maldives.

India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, will be joining PM Modi for the important visit. Although the agreement was announced on 6th May, the full text was held back pending final legal review.

The FTA is a comprehensive trade pact involving goods, services, innovation, government procurement, and intellectual property rights. It will have to be ratified by the British Parliament after signing. For India, this is a giant step in global trade diplomacy.

The main goal of the pact is to eliminate or reduce customs duties on imports and exports between the two nations. This should make Indian products competitive in the UK and vice versa. Both nations desire to increase their trade to USD 120 billion by 2030.

Key benefits for India

With the FTA allowing the elimination of tariffs on 99% of Indian tariff lines, covering nearly 100% of trade value, and reducing tariffs on 90% of UK tariff lines, the agreement is expected to deliver an estimated annual economic boost of £4.8 billion (US$6.4 billion)  for the UK by 2040. This will help major Indian sectors like textiles, leather, marine products, footwear, toys, sporting goods, engineering products, gems and jewellery, auto parts, and organic chemicals. Since most of these are labor-intensive sectors, the deal is expected to create a massive amount of employment in India.

The agreement is in line with India’s focus on local production and exports. The agreement gives Indian products better access to the British market and allows the creation of jobs especially critical for the country’s growing youth population.

Social security relief and professional mobility

The FTA also targets freer movement of professionals between both nations. Indian professionals in fields like IT, finance, engineering, teaching, yoga, and even chefs and musicians will have improved access to employment opportunities in the UK.

Another standalone agreement, the Double Contribution Convention (DCC), has also been finalised. This will prevent Indian workers in the UK from contributing twice to social security systems for a period of up to three years. This will prevent Indian professionals who temporarily work in the UK from contributing to both the Indian and the UK systems. The savings thereby generated will be beneficial to both the workers and the employers.

Benefits for consumers

Both countries’ consumers will gain the advantage of lower prices and diversity of products. Indian consumers, for instance, will soon have lower chemists’ products, tea, and electrical items from the UK. UK consumers will get improved deals in terms of Indian apparel, seafood, and leather items.

The trade agreement also includes digital commerce and simplification of customs commitments, which will make trade easier and faster for businesses.

Sectors to monitor

Advanced manufacturing, automotive, beverages, clean energy, and life sciences will benefit in the UK. In India, there will be substantial gains in the textiles, leather, agriculture, and IT services industries. There will also be stronger supply chains and employment generation for both economies.

India’s exports to the UK rose by 12.6 per cent to USD 14.5 billion, while imports grew by 2.3 per cent to USD 8.6 billion in 2024-25. The bilateral trade between India and the UK increased to USD 21.34 billion in 2023-24 from USD 20.36 billion in 2022-23. 

Balrampur Islamic conversion racket: Jalaluddin’s arrest, modus operandi, foreign funding, links with politicians, ISI and Christian Missionaries- Here is what all have been revealed in the case

Shraddha Pandey
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Balrampur Islamic conversion racket: Jalaluddin’s arrest, modus operandi, foreign funding, links with politicians, ISI and Christian Missionaries- Here is what all have been revealed in the case

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) recently exposed a Rs 100 crore Islamic conversion racket run by Jalaluddin alias Chhangur Baba in Balrampur district. This jihadist racket was luring non-Muslims, especially Hindu girls, into conversion through romantic relationships, force or allurement.

On the 5th of July 2025, the Uttar Pradesh ATS arrested Jalaluddin alias ‘Chhangur Baba’ along with his wife from Gomti Nagar. Jalaluddin ran an Islamic conversion racket spread across the country. This racket run by Jalaluddin involved foreign funding worth hundreds of crores. It has been reported that Jalaluddin received foreign funding of approximately Rs 500 crores, with Rs 200 crores confirmed and the remaining Rs 300 crores allegedly sent through Nepal.

More than 100 bank accounts were opened in the border districts of Nepal, including Kathmandu, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, and Banki, receiving money from Islamic countries.

His entire family was involved in the racket. Jalaluddin’s son, Mehboob and a close aide were arrested by the ATS in April this year. Subsequently, following an investigation, the ATS registered a case against 10 people, including Jalaluddin, who had a reward of Rs 50,000 on him.

Jalaluddin used to provide money to Muslim men for luring Hindu women and converting them to Islam. The Muslim men used to fake their identities and take Hindu names to target Hindu women. Jalaluddin used to perform Muslim marriages (Nikaah) of these Muslim men with Hindu women whom they lured or forced to convert.

Jalaluddin’s foreign trips to Gulf countries

The ATS recovered a diary that contained over 100 names marked as potential targets. Properties worth crores, showrooms, luxury cars and multiple foreign trips, specifically to Gulf countries, were revealed during the investigation, highlighting the extent of his illicit wealth. The ATS found that Jalaluddin had travelled abroad over 40 times, while his close associate, Neetu (later converted to Nasreen), made 19 trips to the UAE between 2014 and 2019. However, discrepancies in travel and conversion certificates raised questions about document forgery.

Price fixed for conversion of Brahmin, Sikh and Kshatriya girls, Hindu men also targeted

Several FIRs have been registered across multiple districts. Reportedly, his network lured at least 40 individuals, mostly Hindu girls, into Islam through coercion, deceit and sexual relationships. 

Jalaluddin had a fixed incentive structure for conversions. Rs 15-16 lakh was fixed for conversions of Brahmin, Sikh or Kshatriya women, Rs 10-12 lakhs for OBCs and Rs 8-10 lakhs for other castes. The accused Jalaluddin had also published a book, ‘Shijra-e-Tayyaba’, meaning ‘To propagate Islam’.

Not only Hindu girls, but Hindu men have also been on the radar of Jalaluddin’s gang. A Hindu man named Sanchit, who used to work as a sweeper at Jalaluddin’s residence, revealed that Jalaluddin tormented him and his family for refusing to convert to Islam. Besides threats and torture, Jalaluddin also offered financial inducements to his targets for conversion to Islam.

The Hindu victim told the media that Jalaluddin tried to lure him to convert to Islam by offering him Rs 5 lakh, and even promised to build his house and gift him a bike. When Sanchit rejected the offer and refused to convert to Islam, Jalaluddin threatened to kill him.

In another case linked to Jalaluddin, a 15-year-old Hindu girl was lured, trapped, and sexually exploited by her Muslim neighbours Aamir Hussain and his sister Neha Khan and subsequently by others under the control of Jalaluddin’s gang in Haryana’s Faridabad. Her Hindu identity was systematically erased; she was forced to offer Namaz, eat meat, wear Burqa, and her abuse was filmed to be used as blackmail by her captors.

In Lucknow, a Hindu woman named Manvi Sharma was lured by a Muslim man, Meraj Ansari, who posed as ‘Rudra Sharma’ to trap her. She was taken to Kanpur, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off under the supervision of Jalaluddin. Later, she was tortured and blackmailed with obscene videos.

In Balrampur, a Hindu man, Harjeet, was harassed, blackmailed, and ultimately forced to convert to Islam by Jalaluddin and his aide Abdul Mabdud. Lured with job promises, then threatened with false cases, he later returned to Hinduism.

Meanwhile, a man named Jyotirgmay Rai from Uttar Pradesh has alleged that Jalaluddin brainwashed him and threatened to murder his two daughters if they refused to convert to Islam. On 22nd July, Rai submitted his complaint to the Additional Director General of Police, Piyush Mordia. A probe has been launched in the matter. In his complaint, Rai said that he married a woman he knew as Ishita through an Arya Samaj ceremony. However, it turned out her name was Afreen and she was a Muslim.

The situation worsened as Afreen began pressuring him to convert to Islam after birth of their second daughter last year. The complainant worked in Lucknow from December 2024 to April 2025. He then returned to Bhadohi without converting to Islam and filed a petition before the high court seeking his children’s custody.

“Rai claims that Afreen left with their daughters for Lucknow in November 2024. When he followed them, he was allegedly threatened and subjected to brainwash by Chhangur Baba. He has also claimed that he was asked to convert to Islam while his daughters were held at knifepoint,” the SP said.

Illegal property, political links and an empire built on deceit

The 3-bigha bungalow, which authorities demolished on 8th July, was an illegal structure registered under Nasreen’s name. It housed the converted Rohra family, Ghanshyam (now Jalaluddin), Neetu (Nasreen) and daughter Samale (Sabiha), who had earlier owned the property. The bungalow was not the only illegal property linked to Jalaluddin. A nearby college, hospital and madarsa built on Gram Samaj land were also bulldozed.

The extent of blackmail came to light through the account of a Hindu man named Sanchit who worked as a sweeper at Jalaluddin’s house. He was offered Rs 5 lakh, a house, and a motorcycle to convert. When he refused, he was threatened, falsely implicated in rape charges, and his wife jailed on fabricated grounds.

Besides the Islamic Jihadist drivers, the Balrampur Islamic conversion racket run by Jalaluddin was backed by robust funding. Jalaluddin created bogus entities like Aasvi Enterprises, Aasvi Charitable Trust, and Baba Tajuddin Aasvi Boutique to launder foreign funds. These funds were funnelled through at least 40 bank accounts that involved suspicious NEFT transactions and direct international transfers. He even deposited Rs 6 lakh from an Indian bank account into a foreign one.

One of Jalaluddin’s associates, Idul Islam from Pune, helped in expanding the network in Maharashtra. The ATS identified a Rs 16 crore property in Lonavala registered under an associate, which revealed the scale of interstate operations.

On 19th July, the Uttar Pradesh ATS on Saturday arrested two key associates of Jalaluddin alias Changur Baba in connection with a large-scale conversion racket operating in the state. The arrested accused have been identified as Sabroz and Shahabuddin, residents of Balrampur. They were arrested from Balrampur district.

During interrogation by the police, it was revealed that both accused are trusted associates of conversion mafia leader Jalaluddin. They were arrested under sections 121A (sedition), 417 (fraud), 420 (cheating and dishonesty), 153A (enmity between different communities) of the IPC and various sections of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act 2021.

Police said that Sabroz and Shahabuddin were actively running conversion campaigns for Jalaluddin and were allegedly involved in converting hundreds of people by misleading them. Their targets were especially the economically weak, uneducated and people from rural areas, who were being induced to convert through greed, fear or emotional pressure.

The police recovered objectionable documents, mobile phones and suspicious contact lists. Based on this evidence, it is being speculated that their network is not only limited to Uttar Pradesh but is also active in neighbouring states.

Notably, Jalaluddin is also reported to have links with gangsters and mafia, like Mukhtar Ansari and Atiq Ahmed (both dead now). The authorities reportedly seized a red diary containing information about several politicians who allegedly received huge amounts of cash from Jalaluddin.

According to an entry in the diary, a former candidate from the Utraula constituency for the 2022 assembly elections received Rs 90 lakh. It reveals that Jalaluddin intended to support a different candidate, a former IPS officer, in the 2027 elections from the same seat.

It is reported that Jalaluddin has contributed heavily to political campaigns in Balrampur and the surrounding areas over the years.  Sources claim that he was actively involved in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections by encouraging his supporters to cast votes in large numbers in addition to providing financial support to candidates.

Jalaluddin used code language with his associates, referred to Hindu women as ‘Project’ and conversion as ‘soil tilling’

Jalaluddin, the mastermind of the coordinated racket, used to talk in code language with his associates. He used to refer to Hindu girls as “Project” and to conversions as “Mitti Palatna” (Soil Tilling). The code word “Kajal” meant giving mental trauma, and “Darshan” implied meeting with himself. Jalaluddin portrayed himself as a saint and brainwashed vulnerable Hindu women by demeaning the Hindu religion.

The tentacles o fJalaluddin’s conversion nexus were spread across Nepal as well. He had set up several madrasas and religious institutions in the Indo-Nepal border districts, all running on foreign funding. He used to target children from poor backgrounds in these districts through his institutions. In addition to that, Jalaluddin was in constant touch with some international NGOs and religious institutions in Nepal, which he used to visit frequently.

Jalaluddin used Christian missionary networks

As per reports, Jalaluddin had connections with Christian missionary networks active in seven districts of Uttar Pradesh along the India-Nepal border. He used to pay members of these missionary networks in exchange for information about poor and vulnerable families that he could target for conversion. After getting the details of his targets, Jalaluddin used to approach them with lucrative offers and promises of a better life after conversion. His associate Neetu, who became Nasreen after converting to Islam, used to keep the account of the money spent on conversions.

A strong network of Christian missionaries reportedly exists in the Devipatan area of Uttar Pradesh. A large number of Christian missionaries of different ranks were appointed to target all the vulnerable sections, including the poor, marginalised people, sick people, and Dalits. These Christian missionaries had gathered information about all the vulnerable sections of people in this area. They shared this information with Jalaluddin for money.

Jalaluddin also had links with several Islamic organisations like the Saudi Arabia Islamic Development Bank, Muslim World League, Dawat-e-Islam and the Islamic Union of Nepal.

Jalaluddin’s ISI connection

Intelligence agencies have reportedly found Jalaluddin’s connection with the ISI. He was working towards changing the demography of Uttar Pradesh by converting people and spreading Islam. A former officer of the Intelligence Bureau, Santosh Singh, who worked along the India-Nepal border, said that Jalaluddin was an important part of ‘Mission Aabaad’. He used to get money for converting Hindu families to Islam. Singh said that a report about this was sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Jalaluddin posed as RSS member, used PM Modi’s photo on letterhead to lure and convert minor Hindu girls to Islam

To cover up his real identity, Jalaluddin retended to be a senior leader of an RSS-affiliated group and even used Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photo on the group’s letterhead to make it look official. He was made the general secretary (Awadh region) of a group called Bharat Pratikarth Seva Sangh. This group was run by another accused of the racket named Eidul Islam. Investigators believe the group’s name was purposely chosen to make it sound like it was linked to the RSS. Islam even set up a fake office in Nagpur, the headquarters of the RSS, to make the organisation appear more genuine.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is looking into the financial angle. Jalaluddin is said to own property worth over Rs 100 crore in UP and Maharashtra, much of it on encroached land.  It has been reported that Jalaluddin received foreign funding of approximately Rs 500 crores, with Rs 200 crores confirmed and the remaining Rs 300 crores allegedly sent through Nepal.

The ED recently conducted raids at 14 locations in Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai linked to Jalaluddin. During the raids, a photo of the Croatian currency, ‘Kuna’, was found on a mobile phone at the residence of co-accused Naveen’s associate Shehzad Sheikh. With this, the authorities suspect that foreign currency may have also been used in the operation of the Islamic conversion racket.

Islamic conversion rackets have one modus operandi and one goal: Converting Dar-ul-Harb into Dar-ul-Islam

The Balrampur Islamic conversion racket is not the first of its kind exposed by the authorities. In fact, there must be many more Jalaluddins yet to be exposed. From conversion rackets in Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad, Prayagraj, Agra and Aligarh to Muslim grooming gangs in Rajasthan’s Beawar, Ajmer, and Bhilwara, beyond Jihadist terrorism, Islamist within the country backed by structured incentives, foreign funding, Hindu-hating jihadist motivations and a whitewashing propaganda machinery at its disposal are working to transform the demography of a Hindu-majority India. They aim to lure in more and more converts and transform the country into Dar-ul-Islam.

Truck still stuck on collapsed Gambhira bridge in Gujarat: As media blames officials, Anand district collector shares the real reason with OpIndia

મેઘલસિંહ પરમાર
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Truck still stuck on collapsed Gambhira bridge in Gujarat: As media blames officials, Anand district collector shares the real reason with OpIndia

After a part of the Gambhira Bridge connecting Saurashtra region and Central Gujarat collapsed on the morning of 9th July, 2025, a truck which got stuck on the bridge is still hanging there, fifteen days after the incident.

Some media reports based on the interviews of the truck driver and the owner claimed that the officials of the two districts of Anand and Vadodara are denying their accountability, which is causing unnecessary hardships to the truck driver and the owner, who have been running from pillar to post to get the truck removed. Pending EMIs are adding to the worries of the truck driver, who is not even able to claim the insurance.

The truck is hanging on the broken Gambhira bridge. (Image via X/theskindoctor13)

A report in Divya Bhaskar quoted truck owner Ramashankar Pal as saying, ” The officials of the Anand government office are putting the responsibility on Vadodara, and the officials of Vadodara are putting the responsibility on Anand. We are tired of facing all the hassles. The officials replied that the army was also requested to remove the truck by helicopter, but there is no possibility of the truck being removed right now.”

The truck owner further told Bhaskar, “I have a loan on the truck and I have to pay an instalment of Rs 1 lakh every month. If the truck runs, I will be able to pay the instalment. The administration had given me an assurance for removing the truck, but even after so many days, I have not been able to get the truck.”

The title of the Divya Bhaskar report reads- ‘First the truck was hanging, now the officials are ‘hanging’ it: Even after 10 days of the accident, the truck is still on the Gambhira bridge, the driver is wandering to unload the truck, saying – there is an instalment of lakhs per month.’

A Gujarati News’ TV channel, GSTV wrote, ‘The government has raised its hands’, the situation of the truck owner is difficult, and no one is listening to him. It has also been claimed in this report that the truck owner has been doing the rounds of the government offices of Anand-Vadodara for ten days, but he did not get any response. “We have to pay the instalments for the truck. The bank is saying that we have to pay the instalments, while the insurance company is saying that the truck is safe, no insurance will be given,” said the truck owner as quoted by GSTV.

Anand District Collector spoke to OpIndia

When OpIndia contacted Anand District Collector Praveen Chaudhary regarding the entire matter, a different version came to light. He said that there is no dispute between the two districts, and neither is the delay due to the administration blaming each other. The reality is that the truck could not be removed due to some technical reasons that emerged during the rescue operation that lasted for several days. However, the Anand District Collectorate is providing all possible help to the truck owner.

Divulging the details about the entire incident, the Anand District Collector said, “After the bridge accident, it was impossible to take heavy machinery like cranes on the bridge due to technical reasons. The truck will need to be lifted from the front, which was damaged, using a crane. But the Road and Building Department believed that using a crane in such a situation is dangerous.” He said that the rescue operation has been going on continuously, and machines were deployed till yesterday. Now that the rescue operation is almost complete, a team from the mechanical wing of the Road and Building Construction Department is working on it in collaboration with a private company and experts from High Speed Railway Corporation Limited.

“Whether the truck should be pulled back or lifted by providing some support from below is being contemplated. It also has to be seen that there is no danger to any human life in this,” the District Collector said.

The truck was not removed, as a rescue operation was going on

The reason for the delay in removing the truck is that the rescue operation went on for several days after the accident. A tanker was not found, so a sonar machine was brought from Mumbai to search and locate it underwater. When the NDRF started the rescue operation after the incident, the district administration was requested to keep the stranded truck tied so that it would not pose any danger to the rescue efforts going on under the bridge, as the rescue operation was a priority at that time.

After discussing with the NDRF team, the district administration tied the truck to a crane from the back to ensure that the rescue operation went on unaffected. When the Army was consulted, it said that pushing or pulling the truck would require the involvement of people and would put their lives in danger. At present, technical teams of the Road and Building Department are working on the strategy to remove the truck ,and it will be disposed of soon. Teams from both the district administrations are also assisting in the operation.

The collector also clarified the issue of insurance and EMI

The Anand District Collector said that the truck owner visited his office and met him and the additional district magistrate, who explained everything to him. The owner agreed for the truck to be destroyed, but it has to be done in such a way that does not put any life in danger. The plan to do this is being worked out.

As far as insurance is concerned, the District Collector said that he met the insurance company. The company said that if the government gave a written certificate of the incident, they would approve the insurance claim. The collector’s office has also given assurance in this regard, and the written process will be completed with the company.

Regarding EMI, the collector said that although this is a matter between the bank and the truck owner, the administration cannot directly interfere in it, yet he wrote a letter to the bank and requested it to postpone the instalment for two to three months on humanitarian grounds. Also, a representation will be sent to the State Level Bankers Committee, so that the truck owner can get relief on EMI.

The District Collector made it clear that this is not an Anand-Vadodara issue. The area where this incident happened and the truck got stuck is entirely in Vadodara, but since the Vadodara administration was continuously engaged in the rescue operation, the Anand district administration stepped in and provided all possible assistance.

Karnataka: Rs 30 pav bhaji payment helps police to solve 2 crore gold heist case from jewellery shop in Kalaburgi

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Rs 30 pav bhaji payment helps police to solve 2 crore gold heist case from jewellery shop in Kalaburgi

The police have arrested three members of an inter-state gang and retrieved 2.865 kg of gold valued at ₹2.10 crore and ₹4.80 lakh in cash after a robbery took place in a goldsmith’s store in the crowded Saraf Bazaar area on 11th July. Sohail Shaikh alias Badshah (30), Ayodhya Prasad Chouhan (48) and mastermind Farooq Ahmad Malik (40) have been captured while the hunt is on for Arbaz and Sajid.

The accused reportedly developed the plan 25 days prior to the crime, which was carried out on 11th July at 12:15 pm. Farooq was nabbed from Mumbai and the other two were taken into custody from West Bengal. The incident transpired in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi.

Notably, the daytime robbery case was resolved when the culprit was apprehended with the assistance of a Pav Bhaji that Farooq had paid via a digital wallet. Four burglars armed with guns and knives as well as wearing masks stormed into Marthula (Sibghatullah per other reports) Malik’s gold jewellery store. After tying a rope around his hands and feet, they opened the locker and stole money and three kilogrammes of gold ornaments.

The owner of the store, however, told the authorities that just 805 g of gold had disappeared to conceal the undisclosed gold he had in his store. Five squads of police were assembled to apprehend them. Over the past ten days, they went to various districts in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. According to an officer, the police first began tracking the accused using CCTV footage gathered from the area, reported The Indian Express.

He informed, “Before the robbery, the accused came to the spot and had a last-minute discussion. Farooq was also present. After they left for the shop, Farooq bought a pav bhaji paying Rs 30 through Phone Pe. He was monitoring the robbery. The others returned after the robbery and fled the spot along with Farooq. We checked the payment made and got the contact number. We found that the number belonged to Farooq. It was a major lead.”

The cops stated that the perpetrators melted the gold ornaments, sold some of the precious metal and returned home. They had also discarded their cellphones before moving to their native places, however, police teams were already waiting for them. The official added, “We are looking for two more accused, named Arbaz and Sajid, in the case.”

According to the investigation, the culprits scared their victims during the heist using a lighter shaped like a gun. They then took a bus to Mumbai and split up. The police conveyed they were also looking into Marthula Malik after he later acknowledged that three kilogrammes of gold had been taken from his shop.

After a financial setback, Farooq, also a jeweller, teamed up with Prasad to plan a theft and invited him to participate. Furthermore, the latter recruited his accomplice, Sohail who is a tailor, in the crime and the two joined Farooq in the heist by travelling from Mumbai to Kalaburagi.

Tamil Nadu: DMK govt renames Waddells Road after Archbishop Erza Sargunam, who called Hinduism ‘artificial’ and urged violence against Hindus

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: DMK govt renames Waddells Road after Archbishop Erza Sargunam, who called Hinduism ‘artificial’ and urged violence against Hindus

The Tamil Nadu government has officially renamed Waddells Road in Kilpauk, Chennai, as Archbishop Ezra Sargunam Road, in honour of the late anti-Hindu Christian evangelist and Bishop Ezra Sargunam. The nameplate was unveiled in a formal ceremony attended by DMK Minister Nehru, Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister Sekarbabu, Chennai Mayor R. Priya, and DMK MLA Inigo Irudhayaraj.

However, the decision has drawn widespread attention and criticism, with several social media users, including from unlikely quarters, raising concerns over Sargunam’s past statements and his controversial public image. Critics have pointed to his repeated remarks targeting Hinduism and his association with polarising religious rhetoric.

Who Was Ezra Sargunam?

Ezra Sargunam, a Christian evangelist and former head of the Evangelical Church of India (ECI), passed away recently at the age of 86. A known Christian fundamentalist and DMK loyalist, Sargunam spearheaded a massive Church Planting mission, boasting the establishment of over 2,000 churches by 2005. Under his stewardship, the ECI set an ambitious target of planting 1,00,000 churches across India by 2056.

But beyond his missionary goals and theological pursuits, Ezra Sargunam earned infamy for his relentless attacks on Hinduism, provocative statements against Prime Minister Modi, and open calls for violence against Hindus, for simply following thei faith. In numerous public speeches, often delivered in the presence of DMK leaders, he not only denied the very existence of the Hindu religion but went so far as to incite violence against those who disagreed.

Anti-Hindu rhetoric and open hate

In a 2018 speech, Sargunam urged radical Islamic group SDPI to “take on Hindus” after the murder of PMK activist Ramalingam who had opposed religious conversions. He shamelessly advised Christians to “punch Hindus in the face until they bled” if they refused to accept the “truth” about Christianity.

Then he goes on to claim Hinduism is an “artificial religion” created for political convenience and encouraged his followers to violently silence anyone asserting that Hinduism is a legitimate faith. These statements went beyond theological disagreements; they were deliberate provocations aimed at inciting communal discord.

Attacks on PM Modi

Sargunam’s vitriol was not limited to Hindus alone. He targeted Prime Minister Modi with abusive language, questioning his character and mocking his personal life. In a public gathering attended by DMK leaders, Sargunam said Modi “does not fear God or the people” and that “he doesn’t know the hardships of family life,” insinuating that he was unfit to govern. “We are stuck with this fake man,” he raged, before leading a collective prayer for his destruction.

Conversion obsession and social instigation

Ezra Sargunam’s life mission was not spiritual upliftment, but the expansion of Christianity in India by any means necessary. In an interview, he fondly recalled distributing Christian literature to Hindu pilgrims at the Kumbh Mela, a sacred Hindu gathering, where he was chased out and injured. Instead of introspection, this incident only strengthened his resolve to “save” Hindus through conversion.

Ezra Sargunam had tried to convert Kumbh Mela attendees

He was also a serial instigator. As Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Minorities Commission in 2000, he stirred tensions in Gujarat after an alleged Church attack. Gujarat authorities accused him of inciting local Christians and creating a “law and order” problem. His involvement was so intrusive that the Gujarat government had to remind Tamil Nadu that he had no jurisdiction there.

Goa CM Pramod Sawant proposes anti-conversion law in the state, multiple states have introduced the legislation till now to tackle the problem of forced conversions

OpIndia Staff
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Goa CM Pramod Sawant proposes anti-conversion law in the state, multiple states have introduced the legislation till now to tackle the problem of forced conversions

On Monday, 21st July, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant declared that the state also requires an anti-conversion law to address “forced conversions.” The matter transpired when he was responding to a motion initiated by Premendra Shet of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Cruz Silva, during the legislative assembly’s monsoon session. Afterward, some lawmakers urged the government to provide the data on such cases in Goa.

They brought attention to the case of SB Krishna who was detained by the Uttar Pradesh police in Goa on suspicion of kidnapping two girls. They emphasised that a “international network funded by global operators” had been functioning in the region and questioned the government’s efforts to dismantle the “transnational network.”

Her involvement became known after a multi-state Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-style conversion racket with ties to Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) was busted by the authorities. Krishna, also known as Ayesha and Nikki, left Hinduism to embarce Islam and was nabbed on suspicion of kidnapping two women for marriage.

Sawant conveyed, “Forced conversions are not allowed under the anti-conversion law in Uttar Pradesh. Many states have passed such laws. I believe we too need to bring such a law so that forced conversions will be disallowed,” and added, “All of you too need to support us,” turning to the legislators of the Congress party.

The CM asserted, “Inter-religion marriages are happening. That is their wish, but forced conversions by giving money should not be done.” According to CM Sawant, “love jihad” cases were also occurring in Goa. “There was denial about love jihad. If you want, I can give you details later,” he mentioned. “Now you may say they are adults, they are in love, but when there are cases of targeting, then we will have to pay attention,” the Chief minister highlighted.

Cruz Silva called for a comprehensive investigation into the case and demanded the state’s law enforcement agencies to look into the number of such accused people living there. “Goa is an international tourist destination. Tourists from across the country and abroad visit Goa. Recently, a grand Exposition of Saint Francis Xavier was held in Old Goa, attended by lakhs of people,” he pointed out.

“However, during the same period (this accused) was also staying in Old Goa and was linked to ISIS. Now that the Uttar Pradesh police have arrested her, everything has come to light. But how is it that the Goa Police and the Crime Branch had no information about her,” he asked.

“Goa’s harmony has never been disturbed and it should never be. I made it clear that this is against those who are attempting to do forced conversions. Inter-religious marriages are happening in Goa. That is their willingness, their wish. However, conversion should not take place by offering lures like money, etc.,” he noted.

Forced conversion racket exposed

Ten people from six states were apprehended by the Uttar Pradesh police for their roles in illegal religious conversions under “Mission Asmita.” Six of them were Hindus, including Krishna, who changed their religion after which they subsequently trapped others, especially young men and women, to follow suit.

The mastermind Abdul Rehman had also been captured from Delhi’s Mustafabad by Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB). The authorities have linked their network to the Islamic State (IS) and reported to have discovered the usage of foreign funds for radicalisation and religious conversions.

Additionally, the perpetrators were involved in various activities within the network, such as receiving and administering money, giving legal counsel, supplying new phones and SIM cards, trapping victims into love jihad and assisting in religious conversions.

Anti-conversion law in Indian states

Forced religious conversions are illegal or set to become unlawful in twelve Indian states including Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh through “Freedom of Religion Acts.” These regulations forbid religious conversions through force, manipulation, deception or inducement. People who break the law are punished with fines and even incarceration.

Arunachal Pradesh

Nearly 46 years after the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act of 1978 was passed, the state government made the decision to impose it by creating regulations for its enactment, amid protests from the Christian organisations. The development transpired after the Gauhati High Court asked the state government to draft rules within 6 months, in September 2024, in response to an appeal.

October 1978 saw the passage of the act which “prohibits conversion from one religious faith to any other by use of force, inducement or by fraudulent means and for matters connected therewith.” It’s goal was to safeguard indigenous religions, beliefs and customs. The law unequivocally stated that anyone found in violation would face a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a fine of up to Rs 10,000.

Chhattisgarh

Vishnu Deo Sai, the chief minister of Chhattisgarh, also announced that his government would introduce a new, strict law to stop tribal people and possibly others from converting to other religion. He also argued that in order to stop proselytisation, tribal members should be delisted from the Scheduled Tribe category if they convert to another faith. According to earlier reports, the new law would be known as the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act.

Illegal conversion of women, children and members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes shall be criminalised under it. It would stipulate a minimum penalty of two years and a maximum penalty of ten years in jail with the possibility of a fine of at least Rs 25,000. Furthermore, if someone is found guilty of participating in unlawful mass conversion, they could be sentenced to 3-10 years in prison, alongside a fine of up to Rs 50,000. The victims would also be compensated up to Rs 5 lakh from the court.

Gujarat

Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill 2021 was put forward by the government in an effort to mitigate the threat of forced religious conversion in the state. The Family Court or the court will consider it illegal to marry someone for the sole intent of converting them to another religion in accordance with the law. It also forbids anyone from directly or indirectly pressuring or misleading someone into marriage or assisting in marriage for conversion.

According to the law, anyone who commits the offence, provides assistance or recommends someone else to do it is equally guilty of committing the crime. A fine of at least Rs 2 lakhs and a sentence of 3 to 5 years in prison await those who breach these regulations. If the women belong to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, a fine of Rs 3 lakhs and a prison sentence of 4 to 7 years will be enforced.

Organisations that break these rules will have their registrations revoked and those found guilty could receive sentences ranging from three to ten years in prison as well as a Rs 5 lakh penalty. The provisions make grooming jihad a non-bailable crime.

Haryana

The Haryana Prevention of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill 2022 makes it illegal to convert someone to another religion “through misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by marriage.” It specifies that such conversions are punishable by one to five years in prison and a fine of at least Rs 1 lakh. However, it offers an exception for those who return to their immediate prior religion, as this will not be considered a conversion.

According to the law, anyone who converts or attempts to convert a minor, a woman or a member of one of the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes will be granted a minimum penalty of four years in prison with the possibility of an extension to ten years, as well as a fine of at least Rs 3 lakh. Moreover, it outlines that marriages entered into just for the purpose of transitioning from one faith to another will be considered invalid.

Himachal Pradesh

The purpose of the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2022, was to amend the state’s current conversion statute. On 21st December 2020, the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 2019 was notified. It was passed with the intention of amending the 2006 conversion law, which the Himachal High Court halted in 2012 on the grounds that it violated religious freedom.

The proposed amendment raised the maximum sentence for forced conversion from seven years in prison to ten years. It also specified that a person who conceals their religion to wed someone of a different faith faces a minimum three-year sentence. A clause to increase this punishment to ten years is also included. Furthermore, the penalty has been increased to Rs 50,000 (Rs 50,000), with a likelihood of an increase to Rs 100,000 (Rs 1 lakh).

The law indicated that mass conversion will impose a maximum penalty of Rs 50,000 and seven years in prison. According to the legislation, it will be considered a crime if someone uses the resources offered by his original religion even after converting with two years in prison with the possibility of an extension to five years. Additionally, the penalty could increase from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.

Jharkhand

The Jharkhand Dharma Swatantra Adhiniyam, commonly known as the Jharkhand Freedom of Religion Bill 2017, renders conversion by coercion, fraud and allurement illegal. A conviction can result in a fine of up to Rs 50,000 and/or a jail term of up to three years. If the target is a woman, a minor or a member of a scheduled caste or tribe, the penalty and fine increase. Furthermore, it specifies that the District Magistrate must give their prior consent before a person can change their faith.

Karnataka

Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2022 “provides for protection of right to freedom of religion and prohibition of unlawful conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means.”

It also “prohibits conversion from one religion to another religion by misrepresentation, force, fraud, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by promise of marriage.” The penalty for breaking the law included a fine of Rs 25,000 and a three-year jail sentence which could be extended to five years.

The penalty was increased to ten years if the conversion involved a woman, a member of the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, a minor child or a person who was mentally unstable. However, in 2023, the Congress government of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah declared that it was going to abolish the law.

Madhya Pradesh

The Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 2021 was created to curb the rising threat of grooming jihad by prohibiting religious conversion through deceptive ways.  A marriage that is solemnised for the purpose of conversion will be considered void under the law. The offence will be cognisable, non-bailable, and subject to Sessions Court proceedings.

People who break the law face a minimum fine of Rs 25,000 and a maximum sentence of 1-5 years in prison. A victim who is minor or a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe will result in a heavier sentence for the perpetrator. The accused could be fined up to Rs 50,000 and imprisoned for 2-10 years.

Similarly, attempting to conceal one’s religion in order to dishonestly solemnise a marriage will result in a minimum fine of Rs 50,000 and three to ten years in prison. Those found to be involved in mass conversions will also face a fine of Rs 1 lakh and a jail sentence of five to ten years.

The law has some new specifications that apply to schools, churches and madrassas. According to the new provisions, the government could cease offering aid to an institution if it engages in or supports forced religious conversion or love jihad (grooming jihad). The government will also have the authority to take back any land that has been given to such an organisation under the proposed law.

Odisha

Notably, the first state to enact anti-conversion legislation was the Government of Odisha (formerly Orissa). “No one shall convert or attempt to convert, either directly or otherwise, any person from one religious faith to another by the use of force, by inducement, or by any fraudulent means,” according to the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967.

A year in prison, a Rs 5,000 fine, or both could be imposed for breaking the law which turned into a template for other states. The penalty could be doubled if the conversion involves a woman, a minor or a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.

Moreover, the legislation requires that any conversion to another religion be reported to the appropriate authorities. According to the Orissa Freedom of Religion Rules 1989, the concerned religious priest must inform the concerned District Magistrates at least fifteen days prior to the ceremony’s date, time and location, as well as the names and addresses of the individuals who will be converted.

Rajasthan

According to the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill 2025, anyone seeking to change their religion must apply to the district magistrate at least 60 days beforehand. Afterwars, the magistrate will determine if the conversion was coerced or voluntary. The conversion to a different faith may be permitted if the authorities conclude that no compulsion was applied during the process.

It highlighted that anyone found guilty of engaging in coercive religious conversion faces a sentence of two to ten years in prison. Additionally, a person convicted of forcibly attempting to convert women, children, members of Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes communities shall be fined Rs 25,000. Large-scale conversion will result in a fine of Rs 50,000 and three to ten years in jail.

Uttarakhand

The Dharm Swatantrata Adhiniyam also known as the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act 2018, made forced and unlawful conversions a non-bailable crime. According to the law, anyone found engaging in such conduct faces a jail sentence ranging from one year to five years. The minimum jail sentence is two years if the victim is from the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe communities.

A person who wishes to convert is required to provide an affidavit to the concerned District Magistrate one month in advance and state that the conversion is voluntary. Any conversions that are discovered to have violated the guidelines will be pronounced unlawful by the government. One must also submit the same document if they want to convert to get married.

Uttar Pradesh

The Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill 2024, was introduced with changes to the anti-conversion law. According to the Uttar Pradesh government, the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021 were inadequate to tackle the menace.

The maximum penalty used to be 10 years in prison and a fine of up to Rs 50,000. However, following the amendments, the severity of the penalties for a number of offences involving religious conversion has been raised. Unlawful religious conversion is now a crime that carries a sentence of three to ten years in jail. Mass religious conversions and conversions financed by foreign sources will also result in penalties ranging from seven to fourteen years in prison.

Furthermore, it conveyed that penalties for religious conversion would vary from 20 years to life in prison if the victim’s life or fortune was threatened, in case force was used or if marriage or the promise of marriage was made for religious conversion. Additionally, incarceration can range from 20 years to life if a woman, minor or individual is lured and human trafficking takes place.

Conclusion

Now, it appears that BJP-ruled Goa is also drawing inspiration from the anti-conversion laws of these states, the majority of which enacted the law under the governance of the saffron party. If the statement from the chief minister is to be believed, the state is also set to introduce a new law aimed at addressing love jihad and forced religious conversions.

Poetic justice? ‘Student protestors’ in Bangladesh now demand resignation of Muhammad Yunus’ adviser, who masterminded the ouster of Sheikh Hasina

OpIndia Staff
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Poetic justice? ‘Student protestors’ in Bangladesh now demand resignation of Muhammad Yunus’ adviser, who masterminded the ouster of Sheikh Hasina

On Tuesday (22nd July), ‘student protestors’ broke through the gates of the Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka, demanding the resignation of ‘Education Adviser’ Mahfuj Alam and Education Secretary Siddique Zobair.

According to reports, the students gathered outside Gate No. 1 of the Secretariat and chanted slogans against Alam and Zobair. They vandalised vehicles and threw bricks at the police.

The cops responded with sound grenades and tear gas. The ‘student protestors’ threatened to carry out more intense demonstrations if the Education Adviser and Education Secretary did not step down within 24 hours.

They were aghast over the decision to postpone the HSC exam. At least 15 people were injured in the scuffle between police and ‘student protestors’

Following the controversy, Mahfuj Alam posted on Facebook that the Education Secretary Siddique Zobair has been removed from his post. However, he did not resign from his position as ‘Education Adviser.’

Demands for Alam’s resignation were previously made by Gono Odhikar Parishad in May this year for mocking Islamic scholars and madrassa students. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) also made similar calls for his resignation.

But life seems to have come to a full circle for Mahfuz Alam. In September 2024, ‘chief advisor to the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, hailed Alam as the ‘brain’ behind the sinister campaign to remove Sheikh Hasina from power.

“He (Mahfuz Alam) denies it repeatedly that ‘it’s not me but many others’. But he’s the brain behind the whole thing…this amazing meticulously designed thing,” Yunus was heard saying.

“It (did) not just come up suddenly, it’s very well-designed. You can’t recognise who’s the leader… so you can’t catch one and say it’s over,” he further added.

Mahfuz Alam, who once oversaw the fall of Sheikh Hasina, is now witnessing protests seeking his own resignation.

While he has temporarily dodged the bullet, he may eventually have to give in to the demands of the ‘student protestors’ whose undemocratic ways he helped mainstream last year.

Terror attack in Niger kills 2 Indian nationals: Here is what’s happening in the West African nation

OpIndia Staff
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Terror attack in Niger kills 2 Indian nationals: Here is what’s happening in the West African nation

In a shocking news, two Indian migrant workers were killed in the West African country of Niger last Tuesday, July 15. Ganesh Karmali, 39, was one of the workers from Jharkhand’s Bokaro district who was killed. The other man who was rediscovered was Krishnan from a southern Indian state.

Ranjit Singh has been identified as the abducted worker who belongs to Jammu and Kashmir. Hearing the news from the Indian Embassy in Niger, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, requested the Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, to intervene in the matter to secure Ranjit’s safe return on July 20.

Singh was an Indian national working at a construction site, was kidnapped in the niger’s Dosso region. His family is pleading with the government to bring him back safely.

The UN Security Council press reported, in March, that Niger also witnessed a terrorist attack by the Islamic State in Greater Sahara in Kokorou. The incident resulted in the deaths of at least 44 civilians, and 13 were severely injured.

It was being observed that due to the small size of its defence force, ineffective coordination among security services, budget shortfall, and instability in Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, and the Lake Chad Basin, Niger’s efforts to fight terrorism were hampered.

In Niger, foreigners are becoming targets of armed groups in Niger and the current incident has sparked another escalation of tension in India. It is also important to note that this is not the sole incident of killing and abducting foreigners in the nation.

The incident of an Austrian woman who lived as an aid worker for more than 20 years was kidnapped by an unidentified man, and she has not been found. Surprisingly, no armed group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.

Niger has been facing this for a long time from armed groups suspected jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State organization. In the past, Niger has battled jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

As per the report, June was one of the country’s deadliest months on record as IS-backed fighters launched a major offensive across the Tillaberi and Dosso regions, killing more than 100 civilians in what marked a return to mass atrocities in rural areas.

Niger is currently governed by a military junta that seized control in 2023 after overthrowing the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. Following the coup, the new regime expelled Western allies, including the United States, which had troops stationed in the country, and instead aligned itself with Russia for security and diplomatic support.

Since the government’s fall in July 2023, Niger’s security situation has deteriorated significantly. President Bazoum was placed under house arrest by the Presidential Guard, and General Abdourahamane Tchiani declared himself the new head of state—a move that drew widespread criticism from the international community.

Income Tax Appellate Tribunal rejects Congress party’s plea seeking tax exemption on Rs 199 crore income: Here’s what the tribunal said

Shraddha Pandey
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Income Tax Appellate Tribunal rejects Congress party’s plea seeking tax exemption on Rs 199 crore income: Here’s what the tribunal said

In a major blow to the Congress party, the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), dismissed the party’s plea seeking income tax exemption for the income of ₹199.15 crore during the assessment year 2018-19 on 21st July 2025.

The ITAT denied Congress’s claim for exemption, citing a violation of the conditions in Section 13A of the Income Tax Act.  The Appellate Tribunal noted that the returns were filed late, in addition, there was a violation of cash donation limits.

Notably, Section 13A of the Income Tax Act establishes stringent compliance requirements for political parties seeking tax benefits. However, a political party has to follow certain criteria to avail of the tax exemption.

These conditions include –the political party must maintain proper books of account and documents to allow the tax authority to accurately determine its income. For voluntary contributions exceeding Rs. 20,000, the party must keep records of the contribution along with the donor’s name and address. Donations exceeding Rs. 2,000 should be received only through specific banking methods, such as account payee cheques, bank drafts, or electronic clearing systems. If the treasurer or authorised person fails to submit a report under the Representation of the People Act, the exemption won’t be available for that financial year. The political party must file a return of income for the previous year within the prescribed deadline.

The ITAT panel comprising Judicial Member Satbeer Singh Godara and Accountant Member M Balaganesh ruled: “The assessee’s return filed on 02.02.2019 is not within the ‘due’ date to make it eligible for the impugned exemption.”

The tribunal stressed the strict implementation of tax exemption provisions in the law and said, “Even section 139(4B) has stipulated filing of return within the ‘due’ date i.e. required to be furnished u/s 139(1), we are of the considered view that the above former clause in fact restricts any further liberalism herein.”

Notably, the Congress party had contended that Section 139(4) allows belated return filing before the end of the assessment year, similar to charitable trusts under Section 12A.

The ITAT, however, differentiated between the two provisions and told the appellant that “the legislature has incorporated the statutory expression therein as ‘within the time allowed under that section’ i.e. section 139(1) as well as u/s 139(4) than section 13A 3rd proviso.”

“We thus conclude that the assessee’s return filed on 02.02.2019 is not within the ‘due’ date to make it eligible for the impugned exemption,” the ITAT order reads.

Meanwhile, the appellate tribunal also found the Congress party in violation of statutory requirements pertaining to cash donation limits, stating that the assessment found cash donations totalling ₹14.49 lakh exceeding the ₹2,000 limit.

“As per section 13A(d) of the Act, donation in excess of Rs. 2,000/- is mandatorily be received through a/c payee cheque/draft or through electronic mode and therefore donation in excess of Rs. 2,000/- received in cash violates provisions of clause (d) of first proviso to section 13A of the Act,” the order reads.

Regarding whether the assessee’s impugned section 13A exemption claim violates clauses (b) and (d) of the 1st proviso, the Appellate Tribunal held that “given the fact we have already held its above return filed on 02.02.2019 as a time-barred one, the same stands rendered academic. Rejected Accordingly.”

Further rejecting the alternate plea expense deductions from gross receipts the court referenced a 2016 Delhi High Court precedent in the Congress party’s own case and said, “We thus conclude that given the fact that the assessee has been held to have violated section 13A 3rd proviso in not filing its return within the prescribed ‘due’ date, its impugned netting claim also deserves to be declined in very terms…the assessee’s impugned netting claim also deserves to be declined in very terms. Ordered accordingly.”

snippets taken from relevant ITAT order

IT Department’s notices, raids and shocking discoveries regarding Congress’s outstanding tax payments and the party’s victimhood narrative

Earlier, the Income Tax Department had sent multiple notices to the Congress party, raising demands for outstanding payments totalling over Rs 3,500 crores. Incidentally, the tax notices sent to the party on March 29th were for the assessment years (AY) 1994-95 and 2014-15 to 2020-21, amounting to Rs 1,823 crores.

On 31st March 2024, the IT department issued fresh tax notices to Congress, demanding payments for AY 2014-15 (Rs 663 crores), 2015-16 (Rs 664 crores), and 2016-17 (Rs 417 crores). This brought the total outstanding tax demands from Congress to Rs 3,567 crores. The development came after the High Court had rejected multiple pleas of the Congress party that had challenged the IT department’s reassessment proceedings against it for several assessment years.

The Income Tax department initiated reassessment proceedings for earlier assessment years after discovering discrepancies in the Congress party’s tax returns. The department found “unaccounted” transactions during its searches, indicating that the party’s total taxable income for certain earlier assessment years was higher than reported, leading to tax liability on undisclosed income.

In 2019, the I-T department’s raids traced “unaccounted transactions” of Rs 523.87 crore. During its searches on entities, including some of which were purportedly linked to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and a company in Surat, the IT sleuths had uncovered cash transactions involving the Congress party.

As reported earlier, in February 2024, the Congress party claimed that its bank accounts were frozen by the Income Tax Department over a tax demand. Party leader Ajay Maken claimed that a demand of ₹210 crore was made by the I-T department on flimsy grounds over a case relating to income tax returns of 2018-19. Later, the party claimed that the ITAT granted them relief and ordered unfreezing of their accounts but asked to keep ₹115 crore in their bank accounts.

However, shattering the Congress party’s victimhood narrative, the Income Tax department has said that it never froze the bank accounts of the Congress party, and only recovered some of the due amount from the party’s bank accounts. The I-T dept said that as the party is not paying an outstanding tax amount of ₹135, it was decided to recover around ₹116 crore from the party’s bank accounts. The dept added that the party has more funds in its other accounts, which it can freely use.

The case pertains to a tax demand of ₹103 crore raised by the I-T department against the Indian National Congress for the Assessment Year 2018-19. Around ₹32 crore interest was added to it, and therefore the total demand was ₹135 crore. The assessment was done on an income of ₹199 crore, and a tax demand of ₹103 crore was created.

The Congress party also played victim card earlier, and cried foul over Income tax notices, the Solicitor Generak Tushar Mehta submitted in March 2024, that the IT department won’t take coercive action until July in the wake of Lok Sabha elections.

While the Congress party has long been claiming that the “unaccounted transactions” are “third-party transactions”, they had failed to get relief from the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), the Delhi High Court, and the Supreme Court earlier as well.

Once again, the ITAT has found the Congress party’s actions in violation of the law and dismissed its plea seeking tax exemption.

Over 37 lakh cases of dog bites in a year, but Govt action limited to ‘rules’, no emphasis on accountability, safety of children and elderly still not a priority

Anurag
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Over 37 lakh cases of dog bites in a year, but Govt action limited to ‘rules’, no emphasis on accountability, safety of children and elderly still not a priority

On 22nd July 2025, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying informed Lok Sabha that there were over 37 lakh dog bite incidents and 54 suspected human rabies deaths in 2024 alone. Yet, instead of addressing growing public demands for decisive action to remove stray dogs from public spaces, the government reiterated its faith in the controversial Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023 that are centred entirely on sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination.

Notably, the ABC Rules 2023 strictly prohibit the removal of dogs, even rabid ones with no sign of communicable diseases like rabies, from any area. If a dog is captured after it bites someone and it does not show signs of infection within the prescribed time frame, it has to be released in the same area from where it was picked.

The reply was provided by Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri SP Singh Baghel in response to a detailed query by Congress MP Dr Bachhav Shobha Dinesh. The MP had asked the Ministry to provide information on the plan to eliminate the stray dog menace and to explain its stance on court-mandated enforcement of animal welfare committees within Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), alongside fund allocations, penalties, census protocols and bite data.

The answer provided by the government was more focused on upholding the ABC framework than recognising the growing human cost of non-removal of stray dogs from the streets.

AWBI’s reach into RWAs raises questions of mandate

In the reply, the government revealed that the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) issued 166 letters between 2024 and June 2025 to RWAs, apartment associations and local bodies regarding community dog feeding disputes. Notably, the ABC Rules 2023 have changed the nomenclature of stray dogs to “community dogs” to give an impression that these dogs are not ownerless.

These letters were sent in the name of compliance with Rule 20 of the ABC Rules that demand the formation of animal welfare committees and ask local residents to designate feeding spots for stray dogs. While these spots are supposed to be away from areas where vulnerable individuals including children and the elderly play or walk in the society, Rule 20 of the ABC Rules is often misused by dog feeders and dog lovers to pressurise RWAs into allowing dog feeding anywhere in the societies.

AWBI is supposed to be a department for the purpose of animal welfare. However, its growing reach into civilian housing societies where cases of dog bites, child maulings and civic disruption are becoming common, has sparked concerns over government priorities. Instead of enabling communities to restrict or remove dog populations, the focus appears to be on protecting the dogs, even at the cost of human safety.

No penalty for non-compliance, yet continued pressure on RWAs

Although the Ministry admitted that there is no provision to penalise RWAs for not implementing the High Court guidelines or forming animal welfare committees, it continues to exert administrative pressure through advisories and correspondence. Notably, though there are no penalties, dog lovers and feeders often tend to involve NGOs and local police, leading to harassment of the residents who do not want dogs in the society or around their houses.

Annual dog bite figures cross 37 lakh, yet no removal mechanism in sight

The government has yet again admitted that the number of dog bites on record has surpassed 37 lakh in 2024 alone. The figure does not include unreported cases and cannot be dismissed as minor given that toddlers, the elderly and even healthy adults have died due to such attacks in recent years, not just because of rabies but because of the injuries sustained during the attack.

Instead of proposing removals, culling, or creation of dog-free zones in high-risk areas, the government response sticks to the tried and tested (but failed) route of vaccination and neutering. The ABC Rules that mandate vaccination and neutering of dogs have been in place since 2001 when the Rules were first introduced, yet the dog population has spiked exponentially, making it a threat for humans as well as wildlife.

The ABC Rules, that are being treated as the gospel solution, are widely criticised for their impracticality and for leaving no scope to remove even aggressive dogs.

Funds, not action – The neuter-vaccinate logic continues

Under the Animal Disease Control Programme’s ASCAD component, the Centre approved Rs 1,423 lakh for anti-rabies vaccines in FY 2024-25 alone, totalling over Rs 35 crore since 2020. This sizeable spending seems justified on paper but makes little difference on the ground where sterilisation failures, aggressive dog behaviour, and population surges remain common.

Notably, rabid tigers and elephants with histories of attacks on humans are routinely tranquilised and put down. However, the absence of any serious discussion around the removal of violent or unmanageable stray dogs remains baffling.

Census deferred to municipalities, no central plan to assess reality annually

The reply also clarified that while a livestock census is conducted every five years by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, there is no centralised annual dog census. The government has pointed out that municipalities are free to conduct their own counts under the ABC Rules. However, there is no clarity on the methodology, funding or accountability. This decentralised and inconsistent census approach only weakens the policy framework and obstructs evidence-based planning.

Is public safety no longer a priority?

The government has continued to rely on vaccination and neutering campaigns, despite over three million dog bite cases annually. It has prompted an uncomfortable question: is the safety of humans, particularly children and the elderly, now secondary to animal rights lobbying? Not to forget, Karnataka has a fund allocation of Rs 12.42 per meal for midday meals for children but the budget for dog feeding is Rs 22 per meal. It shows that the priorities are skewed.

The Centre is working towards a “Rabies-free India” by 2030. However, rabies is not the only issue with stray dogs. The uncontrolled growing population of stray dogs has made every nook and corner of the country unsafe. The threat of stray dogs killing people continues to grow while the solution remains caged in court rulings and failed sterilisation drives.

OpIndia is doing a series on Stray Dog Menace in India which can be checked here.

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