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Pakistan’s attack on drug rehab centre in Kabul draws global condemnation, but WHO and Norway avoid naming Pakistan in their ‘call for peace’

Shraddha Pandey
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Pakistan’s attack on drug rehab centre in Kabul draws global condemnation, but WHO and Norway avoid naming Pakistan in their ‘call for peace’

In a cruel bid to deflect attention from its failure to tackle local terrorists, Pakistan launched a massive airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, on the night of 16th March. The attack on the drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul reportedly killed over 400 people and left 250 injured. While the world leaders have mostly been indifferent to Pakistan’s offensives against Afghanistan, its strike on the drugs rehab centre has invited a rare global pushback.

UNHCR demands independent investigation into Pakistani strikes on drug rehabilitation centre in Afghanistan

The United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHCR) spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement that the ‘tragic blast’ at the drug rehab centre in Kabul “must be investigated promptly, independently and transparently, and those responsible held to account in line with international standards… Under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian objects are strictly protected. The laws of war clearly spell out that any attack must comply with the fundamental principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions. International humanitarian law provides for specific and increased protections for medical facilities.”

Kheetan further highlighted that since the fresh escalation hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan this year, “289 Afghan civilians, including 104 children and 59 women, have been killed or injured. Tens of thousands, mostly in the south and southeast of the country, have been displaced by the fighting.”

UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett also called for an independent and transparent investigation into Pakistani attacks on Kabul’s drug rehab centre.

“I echo that the air strike by #Pakistan impacting a drug rehabilitation centre in #Kabul reportedly leaving scores dead and injured, must be promptly, independently and transparently investigated, those responsible held to account, and reparations made to victims and families,” Bennett wrote on X on 17th March.

WHO Director-General stresses ‘peace’ and de-escalation as Pakistan kills hundreds of civilians in Afghanistan, avoids direct condemnation of Pakistani brutality

Meanwhile, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised concern over the escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan and did not directly condemn Islamabad. He urged both the conflicting parties to “prioritise peace and health”.

“An upsurge in hostilities between #Afghanistan and #Pakistan has resulted in at least 6 health facilities reportedly being impacted in Afghanistan since late February. In addition, a reported overnight strike on the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Facility in Kabul, managed by the Ministry of Interior, killed more than 400 people, and injured at least 250, who were being treated for substance use disorders. @WHO is working to verify these incidents. But the intensifying conflict is placing additional strain on health systems and increasing risks to the health and well-being of vulnerable populations. I urge all parties to de-escalate and prioritize peace and health. Peace is the best medicine,” Ghebreyesus said.

UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemns Pakistan airstrike on drug rehab centre in Kabul

On 17th March, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said that an airstrike carried out by Pakistan military forces impacted the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, leaving dozens dead and injured.

Although Pakistan has zero regards for international laws pertaining to not targeting civilian and medical facilities even in wartimes, the UNAMA said, “Under international law, all parties to a conflict must respect and protect the sick and wounded, medical personnel, hospitals and ambulances and attacks on hospitals and civilian facilities are strictly prohibited.”

“Across Afghanistan, civilians continue to pay the price for the ongoing conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan. In line with its Security Council mandate, since 26 February, and prior to the incident on 16 March, UNAMA documented at least 76 civilian deaths and 213 injuries in Afghanistan due to the hostilities,” it added.

European Union calls Pakistan’s airstrike in Kabul a “deadly escalation”

The European Union also issued a statement condemning Pakistani airstrike on the hospital in Kabul. In a joint statement, EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas and Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said that civilian and medical facilities were protected under international law and called the Pakistani strike “another deadly escalation in a conflict that needs to end as soon as possible.”

Norway says “medical facilities must never be bombed” but fails to even mention Pakistan

In an X post, the Foreign Ministry of Norway expressed “regret” over Pakistani airstrike on the drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul. While the Norwegian foreign ministry stressed that hospitals should never be bombed, it did not name the perpetrator of this atrocity, Pakistan.

“Norway strongly regrets casualties at a drug-rehabilitation center in Kabul. Parties must respect proportionality and precaution. Medical facilities and patients should never be bombed. We urge restraint and dialogue to end hostilities and address cross-border security concerns,” the Norway MFA said.

In a major embarrassment to Norway, the said post received a community note for failing to mention Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Jan Egeland, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said that the Council officials witnessed the “first hand impact” of the attack on Kabul drug rehab centre. Egeland, however, avoided naming Pakistan in the post.

“We are deeply saddened by reports of attacks on a hospital in Kabul last night. We saw firsthand the devastating impact on civilians and the hospital, which has reportedly resulted in a large number of casualties. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must never be targeted. All parties must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and ensure their safety at all times,” he wrote.

India condemns Pakistan airstrike on Kabul hospital in strongest words

India, which has historically faced and retaliated against Pakistan’s state-sponsored terrorism, unequivocally condemned Pakistan’s “cowardly targeting of Kabul hospital.”

“India unequivocally condemns Pakistan’s barbaric airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul on the night of March 16. This is a cowardly and unconscionable act of violence that has claimed the lives of a large number of civilians in a facility which can by no means be justified as a military target. Pakistan is now trying to dress up a massacre as a military operation,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said.

The MEA called Pakistan’s attack a “heinous act of aggression” that assaulted “Afghanistan’s sovereignty and a direct threat to regional peace and stability.”

India further, highlighted Pakistan’s persistent pattern of recklessness that continues even in the supposed holy month Ramzan, stemming from the desperation to externalise Islamabad’s internal failures.

“It reflects Pakistan’s persistent pattern of reckless behaviour and its repeated attempts to externalize internal failures through increasingly desperate acts of violence beyond its borders. That this attack was carried out during the holy month of Ramzan, a time of peace, reflection, and mercy among Muslim communities across the world, makes it all the more reprehensible. There is no faith, no law, and no morality that can justify the deliberate targeting of a hospital and its patients,” the MEA stated.

“The international community must hold the perpetrators of this criminal act accountable and ensure that the wanton targeting by Pakistan of civilians in Afghanistan ceases without delay,” it added.

Reckless in attack, shameless in defence: Pakistan denies targeting Kabul hospital despite evidence

Pakistan has a knack for blaming others for its own security and policy failures. The country harboured Jihadi terrorists in its backyard for decades as proxy forces to fight against India. However, now that its own proxy Jihadis have turned into a Frankenstein monster, Pakistan calls them ‘Fitna-al-Hindustan’ and ‘Fitna-ul-Khawarij’ and, mindlessly levels similar accusations against Afghanistan. While the May 2025 hammering by India, has made it clear to Islamabad that poking India militarily to deflect attention from domestic failures would be disastrous, the hostile neighbour has found an easy target in Afghanistan for the same purpose.

Pakistan knows that attacking Afghanistan, which has no conventional armed forces, is easy, and would also not attract much global condemnation given Afghan Taliban regime’s reputation.

Stemming from belief, Pakistani Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar demonstrated peak shamelessness and denied any Pakistani attack on the drug rehabilitation centre in Afghanistan. He said that Pakistani struck only terror infrastructure in Kabul and not any civilian or medical facility.

Apparently, for Pakistan, even hospitals in enemy territory are terror infrastructure. However, facts debunk Tarar’s claim as it is well-documented that the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Afghanistan, which Pakistan attacked and called a ‘terror infrastructure’ was previously a NATO base, which was repurposed as drug rehabilitation facility. Many international health aid bodies, including UNAMA operate here.

Carving a Christian nation in South Asia? As Ukrainians and an American get arrested for arming and training terrorists, read how NE India-Myanmar border region is a part of a larger plot

Shraddha Pandey
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Carving a Christian nation in South Asia? As Ukrainians and an American get arrested for arming and training terrorists, read how NE India-Myanmar border region is a part of a larger plot

Months before her forced ouster from power in August 2024, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had raised alarms against an alleged US plot to carve out a Christian nation from parts of India’s Northeast, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. A lot has happened since then, which indicates that her assertions might not have been baseless.

The recent arrest of six Ukrainian and an American citizen by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for providing arms and training to Chin National Army-linked militants in Myanmar indicates that there are many dots that, if connected, may lead to the heart of the subversive activities of the US in the India-Myanmar-Bangladesh border region.

The arrested foreign nationals have been booked under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for criminal conspiracy to commit illegal or terrorist acts.

The American citizen arrested by the NIA has been identified as Matthew Aaron Van Dyke, the founder of the Sons of Liberty International (SOLI), a non-profit security contracting firm.

Meanwhile, the six arrested Ukrainians have been identified as Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim, and Kaminskyi Viktor.

The NIA informed the court while seeking custody of the arrested foreign nationals, that the accused arrived in India on a valid visa, but then they entered the protected area in Mizoram illegally. Eventually, the accused persons entered Myanmar and contacted ethnic war groups hostile to India.

The NIA further stated that the arrested Ukrainian and American nationals were giving training to ethnic armed groups, which have links with insurgent groups in India.

As per the NIA, these ethnic armed groups were “supporting some proscribed Indian Insurgent Groups by way of supplying weapons and other terrorist hardware and training them”.

According to the NIA, the arrested foreigners brought a huge consignment of drones from Europe through India. The investigation revealed that all the accused had entered India on valid visas but reached Mizoram without the mandatory Restricted Area Permit (RAP).

The arrest of foreign nationals by the NIA has reignited the dormant speculations that the US and several other foreign powers are providing both soft and hard support to anti-junta forces in Myanmar.

Daniel Courney then, Matthew VanDyke now: American missionaries and war veterans pushing the Christian nation agenda in South Asia?

There have been other instances of foreign nationals, especially Christian missionaries, accessing Myanmar via Northeast India, fuelling insurgency in both countries.

Take the case of Daniel Stephan Courney, who first entered India on a tourist visa in the year 2009, stayed for over a decade and participated in and supervised conversions to Christianity throughout what was formerly Andhra Pradesh.

In 2017, Courney was deported and blacklisted from India. However, in the year 2023, he re-entered India on a tourist visa. involved in proselytisation activities in Manipur under the pretext of doing social service and preaching Christianity. He later also distributed Bibles and delivered hate speech against Hindus and the BJP-led Indian government, even though it is illegal to propagate any religion or undertake religious conversions in India while on a tourist visa.

On 5th August 2023, Daniel Stephan Courney posted a live video from Manipur and claimed that Christians were being persecuted and that the community was being deliberately targeted. OpIndia reported earlier how the Christian missionary from the United States was spreading hate and misinformation against the democratically elected Modi government and called it a “radical Hindu government” while accusing the government of inciting violence against Christians in Manipur, and said that northeast India is a holy land of Christians.

Notably, Courney is a US Army veteran who has also been accused of coordinating the supply of weapons, explosives, advanced communication devices, drones, and “logistics” to violent outfits in Manipur and other northeast Indian states. In December 2024, an old video, likely from August 2023, went viral on social media wherein Courney, who came on a tourist visa, was seen distributing bulletproof jackets and drones to Kuki militants to monitor their enemies—Meitei Hindus in a strife-torn area.

In 2024, one UK national, Daniel Newey, was arrested with one live round of ammunition in June 2024. Newey was nabbed at the Lengpui Airport and was booked under the Arms Act, 1959. Although he was later acquitted, the acquittals in such cases are not very surprising.

In November 2025, Evangelist Franklin Graham from the United States, who was scheduled to visit Kohima in Nagaland on 30th November for a Christian event, was denied a visa. As reported earlier, Graham’s organisation, Samaritan’s Purse, has been involved in conversion-oriented activities in the country, using aid, food distribution, and other material assistance as a tool for evangelism. 

Now, let’s come to the recently arrested American national Matthew VanDyke.  Born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1981, VanDyke has been a prisoner-of-war in Libya as he had joined the rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi.

In 2014, Matthew VanDyke formed the Sons of Liberty International after his friends, American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, were executed by ISIS. Operating as a licensed 501(c)(3) non-profit, SOLI is essentially a private security contracting company.

The outfit claims to provide supplies, military training, and consulting services at no cost to “vulnerable populations” facing terrorist groups and authoritarian regimes. The Nineveh Plain Protection Units (NPU), an Assyrian Christian group battling ISIS, were trained by SOLI during its first deployments in Iraq.

A significant point to note about VanDyke and SOLI is their unwavering support for Ukraine after Russia started the Special Military Operation 2022. Ever since the war broke out, SOLI has been actively training, advising, and supplying the Armed Forces of Ukraine. VanDyke’s deep military and ideological connection with Ukraine, his open admission to having partaken in America’s regime change operation in Venezuela, and now his arrest alongside six Ukrainian nationals in India, the dots are not too blurry to be connected.

VanDyke’s social media profile, which is more like a digital diary of his activities in various countries, offers an insight into his deep ideological support for the ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) in Myanmar.

Matthew VanDyke’s social media posts indicate his deep belief in Christianity, so much so that he casually hands out ‘bad Christian’ certificates to anyone, be it American President Donald Trump or Russian President Vladimir Putin.

However, many more VanDykes are operating in Myanmar. One such is ex-US Special Forces officer and ordained Christian minister, Dave Eubank, who runs Free Burma Rangers (FBR). Eubank, by his own admission, not only provides ‘humanitarian aid’ and military training to Myanmar EAOs, but also proselytises locals into Christianity.

Coming back to foreign powers meddling in Myanmar’s internal affairs via India, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma had raised alarms over the presence of Ukrainians, particularly those with war experience, on the porous borders of India and Myanmar in March 2025 itself. The Chief Minister had publicly stated that foreigners, particularly from the US and UK, are crossing into Myanmar through Mizoram via the porous borders. These foreigners are entering Myanmar to train insurgents, he added.

Addressing the Mizoram assembly, CM Lalduhoma revealed that between June and December 2024, over 2,000 foreigners visited Aizawl. However, they were never seen on the streets, fuelling the suspicion that they entered Mizoram only to cross into Myanmar and interfere in the neighbouring country’s internal affairs.

CM Lalduhoma had also said that among those who entered Myanmar via Mizoram had previously partaken in the Russia-Ukraine war. Lalduhoma’s revelation lent credence to what were speculations so far, that the Myanmar-Mizoram border has become a gateway for Western mercenaries.

“We have specific intelligence that the Ukraine war veterans travelled to Myanmar’s Chin State via Mizoram to train rebel outfits fighting the military junta,” CM Lalduhoma said.

Back then, CM Lalduhoma had also expressed surprise at the then US Ambassador, Eric Garcetti’s visit to Mizoram, hinting at the US government’s direct interest in the developments in India’s northeast and Myanmar.

Congress government’s ‘tourism boost’ misplaced priority, turned Mizoram-Myanmar border into a gateway for Western mercenaries and Christian missionaries

It is essential to note that the prevailing menace of foreign mercenaries and Christian missionaries making their way into Myanmar via Mizoram finds its roots in the Congress-led UPA government’s 2011 decision to relax the Protected Area Permit (PAP) requirements in Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram to boost tourism. Exploiting this loophole, foreign elements arrived in India on ‘tourist’ visas and made their way into Mizoram via the porous borders.

The US-Ukraine versus Russia-China power dynamics in Myanmar: Who backs whom and why?

Since Myanmar is known to have been a battleground for control of power, given the country’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean, between China and the US, from where did a Russia-Ukraine connection emerge?

The answer to this lies in the sides these countries have historically picked. Russia and China have been perpetual supporters of the Myanmar military junta, led by Min Aung Hlaing. The junta, Tatmadaw, has also reciprocated the Russia-China backing. Tatmadaw supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine while Moscow had supplied Naypyidaw with fighter jets, drones, and surveillance devices that the Tatmadaw uses against insurgent groups. Russia has also been a reliable oil supplier to Myanmar. It is, thus, in Ukraine’s interest to drain Russia of its resources and weaken Moscow’s allies.

In March 2025, the Myanmarese junta invited Russia to extract gems and minerals in conflict zones, construct an oil refinery and a port in the coastal city of Dawei.

And here come America and American mercenaries in the picture. The US backs Ukraine militarily, financially and diplomatically against Russia. The US also backs Myanmar’s ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) against the Russia-China-backed Myanmar military junta.

In fact, both China and the US have for decades meddled in Myanmar’s political affairs, with CIA backing Nationalist Chinese (KMT) remnants in northern Myanmar in the 1950s, 1970s and 19080s while China provided covert support to the Burmese Communist Party guerrillas.

In recent years, the US Congress passed the  Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act or simply the BURMA Act. The act was aimed at providing “technical and non-lethal assistance” to “pro-democracy organisations”, including the People’s Defence Force (PDF) and EAOs. Here, the term “non-lethal” does not mean that the US committed not to provide military assistance to anti-junta forces in Myanmar. The Act sufficiently covered a range of military assistance short of arms and ammunition, body armour, uniforms, radars, and medical equipment, etc.

Though the Act is yet to be ratified by the US Senate, there is no denying that powerful political forces in the USA are at play to meddle in Myanmar.

Several reports say that the US has plans to establish a “massive supply dump” in Bangladesh, to back anti-junta military operations in Myanmar by supplying arms and logistic support to insurgent groups such as the Arakan Army and Chin National Front.

In a nutshell, a pro-US, which by extension would mean a pro-Ukraine, regime in Myanmar would expand America’s presence in the Indian Ocean, allowing it to gain an edge against Russia, China, and even India in the region while also harming Russia and China’s economic and strategic interests in the region, not to mention keeping India’s North-Eastern border always threatened. China backs the Myanmar junta against EAOs, which are predominantly Christian, for arms and Belt and Road access. With the arrest of Matthew VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals, India, however, has put out a strong message that New Delhi’s neutrality must not be confused for a weak sense of national security.

Since we have understood the Russia, Ukraine, China, and the US soft-to-hard power spectrum in Myanmar, let’s revisit Sheikh Hasina’s “America plotting to carve out a Christian nation in South Asia” allegation.

Sheikh Hasina’s 2024 ‘Christian nation’ warning turning out not to be just a desperate political statement but a warning of the unfolding reality

Back in June 2024, then Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, made a sensational claim that a plot was being hatched to carve out “a Christian state like East Timor,” from parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Interestingly, the US had declared open support for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamist political outfit, Jamaat-e-Islami, both of which eventually backed anti-Hasina protests and played a key role in illegally ousting Hasina from prime ministership, and now enjoy power in the country. The US has also faced allegations of orchestrating the regime change in Bangladesh.

Map of proposed Zo state ‘Zalengam’ comprising areas of Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Mizoram. (Image via Swarajya)

The Awami League leaders had confirmed that Sheikh Hasina was talking about a conspiracy to create a Christian nation “Zogam” for Zo people, also known as Zomi, Chin-Kuki-Mizo.

It is said to be on the lines of “Zalengam” [land of freedom], a proposed Kuki State. This separate nation would comprise large parts of Sagaing Division and the Chin state of Myanmar, the Indian state of Mizoram, and Kuki-inhabited areas of Manipur, and the Bandarban district and adjoining areas of Bangladesh’s Chittagong division.

These people find their historical origins in the Chin Hills of Myanmar and the adjoining areas of Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland in India. During the British colonial period, the Zo people came into significant contact with Christian missionaries. The early 20th century saw a widespread conversion to Christianity, which resulted in profound changes to their socio-cultural fabric.

Post independence, this community got divided by national boundaries, with India recognising them as Scheduled Tribes, which provided certain constitutional safeguards. In Myanmar, several militant groups, including the Chin National Front’s armed wing Chin National Army, the Chinland Defence Force (CDF), and the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) is engaged in an armed conflict against the Myanmar junta. In Bangladesh, the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) has been carrying out killings and lootings in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).

In Mizoram, the ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF), and Congress alike are reported to be in favour of the unification demand made by the Mizoram-based Zo Reunification Organisation (ZRO), whose main objective is the unification of all Zo-inhabited areas in the three countries. It has been reported that church bodies, particularly the US-based Baptist Church is instigating this “Zo-unification” demand. OpIndia has earlier highlighted how these church bodies are reported to be closely linked to the US’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

OpIndia has consistently raised alarms over the activities of the US-based World Vision International. The Christian NGO received funding from the now-defunct USAID, which had a record of funding anti-India and anti-Hindu outfits and individuals. With activities confined not just to Northeast India, World Vision pretends to be a humanitarian organisation; in reality, it is a Christian fundamentalist organisation that allies with other Christian fundamentalists to convert unsuspecting Hindus, especially children and women, for seven decades, as the Nehru government gave the Christian fundamentalist outfit a free hand.

In 1972, the Indira Gandhi government even allowed World Vision’s Billy Graham to visit Nagaland, much to Graham’s own surprise, since at that time, due to instability, foreigners were not getting permission to visit the Indian state. World Vision openly ran its conversion activities to harvest thousands of Hindu souls for Christianity under Indira Gandhi’s watch.

It was only in 2024 that the Modi government revoked its FCRA license, denting its conversion activity in India. OpIndia earlier reported how US-based Christian outfits like the World Council of Churches, the World Evangelical Alliance and World Vision rallied against anti-conversion laws.

In September 2024, Mizoram CM Lalduhoma met members of the Chin community during an official visit to the United States. Despite being the Chief Minister of a bordering Indian state, he called for the unity of the Zo (Chin-Kuki-Mizo) community spread across Myanmar and Bangladesh based on ethnic and religious lines.

“I would like to take this opportunity to address the elephant in the room and convey my apprehension that there is a real danger of our religion becoming a source of disunity and division, rather than being one that shepherds the flock and transforms the church into a united, strong and impenetrable fortress, which it should be,” the transcript of his speech read.

Lalduhoma said, “I want to let everyone here know that the primary reason I accepted the invitation to visit the United States is to seek a path towards unity for all of us. We are one people, brothers and sisters, and we cannot afford to be divided or apart from one another…While a country may have borders, a true nation transcends such limitations. We have been unjustly divided, forced to exist under three different governments in three different countries, and this is something we can never accept.”

In response to a backlash in India, CM Lalduhoma defended his statement, saying that he advocated for ‘cultural unity’ and not challenge India’s territorial integrity.

In June 2023, the World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC) submitted a memorandum to the United Nations and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking their intervention to carve out a separate Kuki state from the hilly regions of conflict-hit Manipur. 

Wherever there is some ethnic conflict anywhere in the world, somehow the US government finds ways to insert its shadow-network roots there.

Attempts are being made to stir a religion-based conflict in the Indo-Myanmar-Bangladesh border region, while some militant Kuki-Chin groups have already established opium and drugs trafficking networks, joined forces with Islamic terror outfits like Jama’atul Ansar. It was already seen in Manipur how the Christian Kuki-Chin militant groups started a conflict with Meitei Hindus. The locals in Manipur and Mizoram have often raised concerns that Myanmarese infiltrators have outnumbered them in many areas. The Indian authorities have continuously been exposing a racket of issuing counterfeit Aadhaar and voter ID cards to illegal immigrants in Manipur. In many cases, Myanmarese nationals have been found to be residing in Mizoram and Manipur on counterfeit Aadhar cards.

The Modi government has been making efforts to expand border fencing on the India-Myanmar border areas. In 2024, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the decision to set up a fence along the 1,643 km-long India-Myanmar border. On 8th February 2025, Shah announced the decision to suspend the FMR agreement with Myanmar in the interest of internal security and preserving the demography of the Northeast states.

However, several Naga and Kuki Christian outfits often rise in opposition. In January 2025, the United Naga Council (UNC), Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), a student body in Mizoram, and other such local outfits demanded that the Centre discontinue the Indo-Myanmar border fencing project as a ‘sinister design’ by the government of India to alienate the Naga people from their ancestral lands by imposing ‘artificial boundaries’. On the contrary, the Meitei Hindus had welcomed the fencing project, saying that it would curb the crisis in Manipur, which, they attributed to infiltration and narco-terrorism from Myanmar.

Conclusion

Clearly, from the Manipur crisis to the Myanmar conflict, foreign elements, particularly those with military and Christian missionary backgrounds, are active and operating in the Northeast India-Myanmar-Bangladesh border regions, waging asymmetric proxy wars with geopolitical objectives rooted in the idea of establishing a Christian nation, or, to be more precise, a conflict zone that can be easily manipulated through Christian puppet strings. However, in the interest of its national security and territorial integrity, India will never allow such nefarious designs to succeed, and the recent arrests of American and Ukrainian Christian insurgency enablers are the corroboration of the same.

When the Portuguese held the Strait of Hormuz: A century of rule, controlling trade routes from Arabia to India, until British and Persia joined forces

Rukma Rathore
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When the Portuguese held the Strait of Hormuz: A century of rule, controlling trade routes from Arabia to India, until British and Persia joined forces

The rising tension between the United States, Israel, and Iran has evolved into a major threat to stability and peace in the Middle East, with repercussions extended beyond the region, threatening to draw other nations into the conflict. It has had a profound impact on the global supply chain, disrupting the flow of crude oil and gas, as a potential energy crisis looms over other economies.

The current predicament has developed after Tehran closed the “Strait of Hormuz,” with the intention of inflicting a heavy toll on Washington and Jerusalem in response to the assassination of its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The country has taken over the passage since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which overthrew the American-backed Shah monarchy and established the Islamic Republic. 

The 104 miles or 167 kilometres strait, which is only 20 miles wide at its narrowest point and links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, is a geographical “choke point” for tankers transporting 20 million barrels of oil a day from Gulf nations including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and Kuwait. It provides access from the Indian Ocean to the Persian Gulf’s waters and beyond, along with serving as a crucial location for international maritime commerce.

The area has been a source of longstanding historical interest as a key hub of thriving global trade, owing to its strategically significant location and has become a battleground for world powers vying to assert their authority over it. Portugal, which opened the door for European colonisation in India, has also left its legacy in relation to the contestation of the strait. 

Portuguese plan in motion

Manuel I, the King of Portugal, who had already sent several armadas to India, decided in 1505 to obstruct Muslim trade in the Indian Ocean by seizing Aden to limit traffic through Alexandria, Hormuz or Ormuz to hinder the route through Beirut and Malacca to regulate the business with China. This plan eventually culminated in the takeover of Hormuz.

General Afonso de Albuquerque, known for the conquest of Goa, commanded two major military operations in 1507 and 1515 and successfully acquired possession of the critical pathway. He tried to gain ownership of the strategic emporia cities of trade throughout the Indian Ocean for his country after achieving a headquarters for the Portuguese Empire of the East (Estado da India) at Goa in 1510 with the aim to dominate commerce and set up a monopoly.

The island of Hormuz existed at a strong site at the confluence of the strait previously called Jarun or New Hormuz after its capital was moved for military reasons around 1296 CE. Albuquerque attacked it in 1507 to create the Castle of Ormuz, which contributed to the territory’s capture. The Portuguese maintained complete influence over trade across the Persian Gulf between Europe and India as a result of this victory.

Portuguese map of Hormuz, 17th century. (Source: Wikipedia)

According to Portuguese reports, the island of Socotra was home to Nestorian Christians and could be helpful in this quest. Thus, two fleets of 16 ships, headed by Tristao da Cunha dispatched from Lisbon in April 1506 to grab the region and build a fort there. Albuquerque, who had been appointed captain-major of the Sea of Arabia and was asked to blockade Muslim shipping in the Red Sea, helped him.

The mission was completed in 1507. Afterwards, a few ships remained under Albuquerque while the majority of the fleet departed for India. However, he recognised that Socotra was unsuitable as a military base and his troops would not be able to take the heavily guarded city of Aden. Hence, he moved to annex the island of Hormuz, defying orders to travel to India.

“When I saw myself this ruined, and the fleet lacking supplies, and a hundred and twenty men sick, lacking whatsoever to feed them, and a hundred men that the king had us stationed there, I was forced to change course, so as not to lose the fleet and the fortress, and discard the journey to Cambay, and seek the Strait of Hormuz to find supplies, and die like knights, rather than starving little by little, till we wrecked the ships,” Albuquerque wrote about their hardships in a letter on 27th October 1507.

The incursion of Oman

Oman’s coastal cities were under the administration of the Kingdom of Hormuz in the early 16th century. On 22nd August 1507, Albuquerque and his crew arrived in Qalhat, a prominent harbour that delivered dates and horses to India.

Its governor chose to negotiate an offer and exchange hostages after learning about Socotra’s fate. However, Qurayyat erected stockades and made an effort to resist, but the town was attacked and overrun. A eunuch and former slave of the monarch of Hormuz ruled Muscat at the time. He submitted to Albuquerque, but the garrison rejected his request, and the town was also sacked.

Afonso de Albuquerque (Source: Heritage History)

Sohar was the only town in Oman with a minor fort, but it opted for capitulation just as the Portuguese landed there. It was spared, presents were traded, and its governor was given a Portuguese flag to fly in exchange for a vassalage vow. He was also permitted to maintain the yearly tribute given to the king of Hormuz. A signed paper outlining the terms of surrender and allegiance was presented by him.

The Portuguese subsequently made their journey to the lucrative strait, which they held for a prolonged period, affording them a notable advantage in world trade and enhancing their status.

The first entry into Hormuz

The Portuguese approached Hormuz’s harbour late on 26th September 1507, appropriately decorated with flags and attacked around the city for 30 minutes. The city was greatly distressed by the news of the invasion of Oman, and there were rumours that they had even consumed people.

A Prospect of the Island of Ormus. (Source: capasia.eu)

Therefore, Albuquerque was not welcomed by any representatives with whom he might form diplomatic ties. Afterwards, he summoned the captain of the biggest ship, an 800-ton Gujarati commerce vessel, to his own and threatened to sink it if the person failed to comply. He claimed that King Manuel had instructed him to bring Hormuz under his authority and protection, but he allowed them an opportunity to surrender peacefully.

The old vizier, a Bengali eunuch, Cogeatar (Hwaga Ata), was in charge of Hormuz instead of the 15-year-old king Seyf Ad-Din. The former was unfazed by the relatively tiny fleet of 6 ships with almost 500 men. However, a plot began to materialise in his mind, and he communicated his willingness to talk and offered to let Portuguese soldiers visit ashore if they desired, a deception designed to give him a notion of their numbers.

Albuquerque directed that a decision be announced by 8 p.m. and declined both the present and his invitation. On the other hand, Cogeatar launched an offensive and issued a directive to apprehend as many Portuguese alive as possible to force them into his service.

The Portuguese were flanked by about 120 and 200 light oarvessels on the sea side and 50 to 60 large armed merchant ships on the land side. Albuquerque did not try to break free from this encirclement and exploited the excessive number of hostile ships to maximise the impact of the artillery.

The Portuguese capitalised on their superior naval armament technology to unleash cannon fire that destroyed the enemy ships and shore defences. Cirne, Albuquerque’s flagship, released fire after an impasse in negotiations at 9 a.m., and the rest of the fleet did the same. They had a definite edge over the natives in the exchange of volleys, and visibility was severely hampered by the formation of thick clouds of smoke surrounding the ships.

Battle at Hormuz. (Source: Wikipedia)

The Portuguese were hit in large numbers by the light-oar ships, which were loaded with mercenary Persian bowmen. However, their gunners found the small group of shallow enemy crafts to be a perfect target, and roughly a dozen of them were sunk, and many more were disabled, obstructing the way of the others.

The ruler of Hormuz accepts his defeat.

The action disoriented and confused the residents as the Portuguese won after merely 6 hours, as they captured or destroyed most adversary ships and ignited fire on the outskirts of Hormuz. Cogeatar signalled the surrender by raising a white flag over the royal palace out of fear of a brutal attack, and a Tunisian ambassador was sent to plead for peace. Albuquerque swiftly embraced the offer since he was afraid of the ramifications of seeking to overrun such a big city with few soldiers.

Albuquerque met with the king, his vizier, and his right-hand man, Rais Nureddin Fali, on 10th October 1507 to sign the conditions, which included a 15,000 ashrafi tribute and an exemption from paying customs duties after protracted talks. Moreover, they were permitted to build a fortress on the island with aid from locals, and the merchants whose ships were taken during the confrontation were restored to them. The agreement was in exchange for Seyf Ad-Din retaining his role under the protection of the Portuguese military.

Albuquerque assigned his soldiers the task of installing the fort on the island’s northernmost point in shifts. The Portuguese reembarked each night before appearing the next morning to conceal their true strength. They showed up every day with a variety of weapons and equipment to trick their hosts. This proved effective because Cogeatar calculated that the Portuguese had 1200 men.

The city and fortress of Hormuz in the 16th century, depicted by Gaspar Correia in Lendas da Índia. (Source: Wikipedia)

On 27th October 1507, the construction commenced, and initially he intended to staff it with a garrison; however, other Portuguese captains disagreed with the decision to stay in Hormuz as the tiring work started to take its toll in the severe climate. Four sailors who had escaped to Cogeatar in December told him about the Portuguese’s actual numbers and the discord within their ranks.

Captains Manuel Teles, António do Campo, and Afonso Lopes da Costa abandoned their ships to move to Cochin after a mutiny at the end of January 1508. Albuquerque was compelled to leave on 8th February after realising his vulnerable position. However, he had pledged not to cut his beard till he seized Hormuz.

The second Portuguese conquest of Hormuz

Albuquerque was elected as the governor of Portuguese India on 4th November 1509. However, he continued to obtain intelligence on Hormuz, swapped embassies and communicated with its viziers. Albuquerque ultimately put together a fleet of 27 ships, 1,500 Portuguese and 700 Malabarese at Goa and the Portuguese anchored before Hormuz in March 1515.

King Turan Shah and Rais Nureddin surprisingly did not challenge him in the hopes that he might act as an ally against Rais Ahmed, even though Hormuz was fortified and equipped for a long battle. The Portuguese flag was finally raised over the island on 1st April 1508 when King Turan Shah authorised Albuquerque to land his forces and officially retake Hormuz without causing any casualties.

He then revealed to Albuquerque that Reis Ahmed had plotted his murder. Interestingly, the expectation of receiving assistance from the Portuguese admiral materialised when he murdered the king’s nemesis in his presence at a palace.

Portuguese fortress of Hormuz. (Source: Wikipedia)

Albuquerque won Hormuz and began to construct the fortress with the aid of his soldiers and locals. It was erected near the northernmost point of the island, with strategic exposures over the city and the harbours on either side. It has seven towers grouped in an irregular pentagon. It was named “Fortaleza da Nossa Senhora da Conceicao de Hormuz” after the religious figure of “Our Lady of Conception.”

Its garrison consisted of 400 Portuguese soldiers. Later, a sizable courtyard was created between the city and the citadel, and a massive pillory was set up in the marketplace. In 1550, architect Inofre de Carvalho restored and expanded the existing castle, creating a larger fortress more suited to the principles of modern gunpowder warfare.

However, a power is absolute only until a greater power replaces it, and the same happened with the Portuguese, who prospered from trade across the Strait of Hormuz for a century. However, a coalition of the English East India Company and Abbas I, the Safavid dynasty’s Shah of Persia from 1588 to 1629, drove them out as their garrison became inundated by the joint Anglo-Persian forces in 1622, resulting in trade between the victorious sides. The English provided the Safavids with naval prowess for beneficial deals, and it entirely altered the global commerce and power dynamics.

Is India’s GDP overstated? As a study claims 20 years of ‘misestimation’, read why it is not that straightforward and all conclusive

Dhruv Mishra
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Is India’s GDP overstated? As a study claims 20 years of ‘misestimation’, read why it is not that straightforward and all conclusive

India’s economic growth has been based on a simple claim for a long time that it is one of the World’s fastest-growing major economies. But in a recent research report, Arvind Subramanian, former chief economic advisor to India, challenges this story, saying that India’s growth may have been greatly exaggerated over the past 10 years. According to the paper, while official data shows steady growth of around 6% but, the reality may differ. Indicators such as credit growth, exports, and investment have slowed sharply in recent years, raising an uncomfortable question: if the economy is doing so well on paper, why does it not feel as strong in practice?

The current argument centres on the conflict between official data and economic experience. The report has raised a basic question: are we accurately evaluating India’s economy, or do the numbers simply convey part of the story? 

What the Report claims 

According to the research paper titled “India’s 20 Years of GDP Misestimation: New Evidence”, it argues that  India’s economic growth over the past 2 decades has been misestimated. According to official data, India grew at around 6% annually between 2011 and 2023, but the paper estimates that the actual growth may have been closer to 4–4.5%. Over time, these gaps increased, leading to the claim that India’s overall GDP could be overstated by roughly 20%-22% and consumption levels by an even higher margin. Basically, the argument centres on two main issues in the calculation of GDP. First, India has a large informal economy, including small businesses, daily wage workers, and unregistered enterprises, which is not directly measured. Instead, official data often uses trends from the formal sector (large companies) as a proxy.

According to the paper, it became problematic after 2015, when events such as demonetisation, GST implementation, and the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected the informal sector relative to the formal sector, yet the GDP calculations may not have captured this divergence. Second, the paper points to the use of the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) to adjust for inflation. Since commodity prices declined after 2011, WPI inflation remained relatively low, thereby making real GDP growth appear higher. In simple terms, the paper’s core claim is that if the informal economy were weaker than assumed and inflation were underestimated, then India’s reported growth rate may overstate the true pace of economic expansion. 

Where the argument falls short

 While the paper raises important questions, its conclusions are inconclusive and rely heavily on assumptions that are subject to contention. The analysis fundamentally substitutes one set of estimates for another, criticising official GDP calculations for their reliance on proxies, while formulating an alternative estimate based on its own proxies and constrained data. The assertion that GDP is exaggerated is primarily based on discrepancies between GDP and several macroeconomic indicators, including credit, exports, and electricity consumption. But these indicators don’t capture the whole economy, especially in a country like India, where services, digital activity, and structural changes have become more important. A slowdown in some indicators does not automatically imply that overall growth is mismeasured. Moreover, the paper does not adequately account for structural changes in the Indian economy after 2015. It mentions events like demonetisation, GST, and COVID as shocks to the economy, but forgets to mention the formalisation brought by GST, the growth of digital payments, and the shift towards services. According to the report, the main claim that GDP is overestimated by 22 per cent and that the level of real consumption is overestimated by about 31 per cent is also not based on direct measurement but on compounded differences arising from alternative assumptions over time, which introduces significant uncertainty. These limitations suggest that, while the paper highlights potential measurement weaknesses, it does not conclusively establish that India’s GDP growth has been systematically overstated. 

The counter-view: A debate, not a conclusion  

It is important to note that the claims that India’s GDP is overestimated have not gone unchallenged. Although similar arguments have been critically examined in the past. An earlier academic paper by economists Ashima Goyal and Abhishek Kumar titled “Indian Growth is Not Overestimated: Mr. Subramanian You Got it Wrong” disagrees with thi argument and points out the major flaws in the method flaws in the method used to question GDP estimates. Indicators such as exports, credit, and electricity consumption question official growth estimates . Their analysis found that these indicators were not reliable predictors of GDP even before 2011, suggesting that their divergence in later years may reflect limitations of the model rather than evidence of mismeasurement.


The study further showed that when the same methodology is applied to other countries, it produces inconsistent and often implausible results, implying that many economies would simultaneously appear to overestimate or underestimate their growth. This raises concerns about the robustness of such approaches. In addition, the critique highlights issues such as omitted variables, structural differences across economies, and the limitations of using simplified econometric models to replicate a complex statistical exercise like GDP estimation. While this earlier work does not directly respond to the current paper, it underscores a broader point that debates over GDP measurement are not new, and such methodologies have faced substantive criticism before.

Understanding the limits of GDP measurement

At its core, GDP is not a directly observable number but an estimate constructed from multiple data sources, surveys, and statistical techniques. In a country like India, where a significant portion of economic activity occurs in the informal sector, measuring output with precision is inherently challenging. Statistical agencies rely on proxies, periodic revisions, and evolving datasets to improve accuracy over time. Importantly, this is not limited to India; no country measures GDP accurately. All estimates account for trade-offs between data availability and methodological choices, particularly in economies undergoing rapid structural change.

A balanced view

The issues raised in the paper deserve serious attention. It is hard to measure the informal sector, and the choice of inflation measure can change growth estimates. These are legitimate issues that warrant continued scrutiny and improvement in statistical methods. However, moving from these concerns to precise claims of large-scale overestimation requires stronger evidence than what is currently available. While the questions are valid, the certainty of the conclusions may be overstated. But to go from these worries to specific claims of large-scale overestimation, we need stronger proof than what we have right now. While the questions are valid, the certainty of the conclusions may be overstated.

Why this debate matters

The debate over GDP measurement is not merely academic; it has real-world consequences. Economic data shapes government policy, influences investment decisions, and affects how citizens perceive economic performance. If growth is overstated, it may lead to misaligned policy priorities. At the same time, excessive scepticism about official data can undermine institutional credibility and distort public understanding. In a rapidly evolving economy like India’s, ensuring that measurement tools keep pace with structural changes is critical for informed decision-making.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the controversy highlights a deeper issue: an economic measurement is as much about methodology as it is about numbers. The real question is not whether India’s GDP is entirely right or wrong, but whether the methods used to estimate it are keeping pace with a rapidly changing and increasingly complex economy.

Odisha Congress seeks disqualification of own MLAs, targets Sofia Firdous again over Rajya Sabha polls: How the Party has been alienating the State’s first and only Muslim woman MLA

Divya Bharti
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Odisha Congress seeks disqualification of own MLAs, targets Sofia Firdous again over Rajya Sabha polls: How the Party has been alienating the State’s first and only Muslim woman MLA

The Congress in Odisha is outraged and fuming over the recent cases of alleged cross-voting in the recently concluded Rajya Sabha polls. The party, reduced to a few MLAs in the state they once ruled, is going beyond suspending the party MLAs and taking steps towards disqualification. This comes after three Congress MLAs, Sofia Firdous, Ramesh Jena, and Dasarathi Gomango, reportedly ignored party orders and chose to vote for BJP-supported Independent candidate Dilip Ray in the polls.

The Congress move has raised questions not just about internal discipline but also about the party’s shrinking strength in Odisha and its repeated confrontations with emerging leaders like Sofia Firdous.

Cross-voting upends Opposition strategy

In the Rajya Sabha elections held in Odisha on 16th March, there was a dramatic collapse of the Opposition coalition. The Congress and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) had joined hands to support a common candidate, Datteswar Hota, with the aim of gaining an extra seat and restricting the BJP’s entry into the Rajya Sabha.

With the BJD holding around 48 MLAs (excluding suspended members) and Congress having 14, the alliance appeared comfortable enough to secure two seats. However, the situation changed when at least 11 Opposition MLAs cross-voted. These included eight from the BJD and three from Congress. This change resulted in an unexpected victory for Dilip Ray, as the BJP-backed candidate was able to win the fourth seat. The result was a disruption of the expected arithmetic victory for the Opposition alliance.

Congress cracks down on its own leaders

Within hours of the results, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) suspended the three MLAs involved. The party leadership has now decided to take it a step further by seeking their disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which deals with anti-defection.

The OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das confirmed that the party will approach Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy to initiate the process. According to the law, if an MLA is seen as voluntarily giving up party membership or going against the party whip, they can be disqualified. Das strongly criticised the MLAs, calling their actions a betrayal of party trust.

Sofia had expressed her displeasure over Congress functioning, stated Party being misled, weakened by some leaders

It is notable here that days before the Rajya Sabha elections, Sofia had expressed her displeasure over the Congress Party’s functioning in the state, adding that some leaders in Congress are trying to sideline her. She had also rejected the notions of Congress MLAs being ferried to Bengaluru, and added that she is an elected representative of her constituency, and she does not need to go anywhere.

Speaking to media, Sofia had also added that the state Congress leadership kept her in the dark, and did not ask for her opinion about the candidate to be supported by the party.

BJP accused of using influence

Alongside disciplinary action against its own MLAs, the Congress has also accused the BJP of using money and influence to engineer the cross-voting. Bhakta Charan Das claimed that efforts were made to reach out to Opposition MLAs and persuade them to switch sides during the election.

Similar concerns were raised by BJD leader and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who accused the BJP of horse-trading. However, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi dismissed these remarks, calling them inappropriate and defending the legitimacy of the outcome.

A risky move by a shrinking Congress

What makes the Odisha situation more striking is the Congress party’s limited strength in the state. With just 14 MLAs in the Assembly, the party is already struggling to remain politically relevant against stronger players like the BJD and BJP.

In such a scenario, moving to disqualify three of its own MLAs could further weaken its presence. If the disqualification goes through, the party’s strength in the Assembly would drop even further, raising questions about whether such strict action could end up hurting the party more than helping it.

For a party trying to rebuild its base in Odisha, losing sitting MLAs even over disciplinary issues could have long-term consequences.

Sofia Firdous in the spotlight again

Among the three MLAs, Sofia Firdous has drawn the most attention both because of her political profile and her background.

She represents the Barabati-Cuttack constituency and is widely seen as one of the emerging young faces of the Congress in Odisha. She is also notable for being the only Muslim MLA in the state and the first Muslim woman MLA from Odisha.

Her political journey is closely linked to her father, veteran Congress leader Mohammed Moquim, who had earlier won the same seat in 2019. Sofia stepped into electoral politics in 2024 and secured a victory despite a strong campaign by top BJP leaders.

However, her relationship with the party leadership has been under strain for some time. Her father was expelled from the Congress after he wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi highlighting internal issues within the party and calling for major reforms. That episode had already brought Sofia into the spotlight, with discussions around internal divisions within the party.

Now, with the cross-voting controversy, she finds herself at the centre of another political storm.

Sofia, however, is immensely popular with her voters and a favourite of the media for her calm demeanour and consistent presence in the Assembly, raising relevant issues. She is also known to visit all over her constituency to meet people and address complaints. For a Congress that has been struggling to find its footing in the state, Sofia can be a promising young leader who will resonate with the youth. But Congress has been known to actively alienate and attack any promising young leader who dares to challenge the old guard and develop independent thinking.

Repeated targeting raises questions

Within political circles, there is growing chatter that Sofia Firdous has been repeatedly singled out by sections of the party leadership. Despite being seen as a young and energetic leader who connects well with voters, especially the youth, she has faced criticism and pressure from within her own party.

Her rise as a new-generation leader has not been smooth, and the current action against her has added to the perception that internal rivalries continue to shape the Congress’s decisions in Odisha.

Supporters point out that she has been active in the Assembly, raising issues and maintaining a visible presence on the ground. Yet, the party’s strong reaction against her in this episode suggests deeper tensions.

Internal rifts continue to haunt Congress

The developments in Odisha reflect a larger problem that has affected the Congress across states internal disagreements, leadership challenges, and difficulty in managing dissent.

From expulsions of senior leaders to disciplinary action against sitting MLAs, the party has often struggled to balance internal debate with unity. The Odisha case now adds another chapter to that ongoing story.

As the Congress prepares to move forward with disqualification proceedings, the bigger question remains: can the party afford to lose more of its already limited strength in a key state?

For now, the focus is on the Speaker’s decision and the legal process ahead. But politically, the episode has once again exposed the fragile state of the Congress in Odisha where even a handful of votes can change the outcome, and internal divisions can prove just as damaging as external challenges.

NIA arrests a shady US mercenary ‘VanDyke’ for working with Myanmar-based militants and training insurgent groups active in NE India border: What we know about him

Divyansh Tiwari
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NIA arrests a shady US mercenary ‘VanDyke’ for working with Myanmar-based militants and training insurgent groups active in NE India border: What we know about him

On March 13, 2026, India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested seven foreign people, six Ukrainians and one US citizen, in a major counter-terrorism operation. On March 16, a court in Delhi remanded them to NIA custody for 11 days. The group apparently entered India illegally through Mizoram’s protected border areas, then travelled to Myanmar to train with ethnic armed organisations linked to Indian insurgents in the northeast. They are also accused of carrying a huge consignment of drones from Europe, raising concerns about proxy conflict networks.

This crackdown, which coincided with ongoing NIA investigations into terror financing and insurgency affiliations, sparked speculation on social media that the American individual was Matthew VanDyke, a name that has been associated with many conflicts and insurgent groups over the years. News videos that had the visuals of NIA officials loading the arrested foreigners into a jail van had one thin, long haired individual wearing a mask. Soon, the name Matthew VanDyke was all over social media.

VanDyke, the founder of Sons of Liberty International (SOLI) and an American documentary filmmaker who transformed into a self-proclaimed revolutionary fighter, personifying the blurred lines of warfare in this era. Today’s battles encompass non-state actors, private contractors, and ideological mercenaries in uncertain zones, going beyond state forces and defined borders. He has, as per his own posts, worked in the deadliest hotspots in the globe for more than ten years, including Syria and Libya, highlighting these interrelated proxy dynamics.

Soon after the news of the arrest and remand, however, the speculations were confirmed. The US national arrested was reportedly Matthew VanDyke. Media reports named the Ukrainians as Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefanik Marian, Honcharuk Maksim, and Kaminskyi Viktor.

Who’s Matthew VanDyke?

To understand the present rumours about VanDyke, one must first examine his unusual past. VanDyke, who was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1981, earned a master’s degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He set off on a multi-year motorcycle tour across the Middle East and North Africa with the initial goal of understanding the Arab world via the lens of a camera. But the 2011 Arab Spring drastically changed his course. When the Libyan Civil War broke out, VanDyke joined the rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi in addition to filming it. After fighting alongside rebel troops, he was taken prisoner by Gaddafi’s government and held in solitary confinement for almost six months before making his way back to the front lines.

The ideological foundation for his subsequent pursuits was established by this significant shift from observer to active participant. VanDyke formed Sons of Liberty International in 2014 after his friends, American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, were executed by ISIS. Operating as a licensed 501(c)(3) non-profit, SOLI is essentially a private security contracting company with a humanitarian twist o itself.

It claims to offer supplies, military training, and consulting services at no cost to “vulnerable populations” facing terrorist groups and authoritarian regimes. The Nineveh Plain Protection Units (NPU), an Assyrian Christian group battling ISIS, were trained by SOLI during its first deployments in Iraq.


However, Eastern Europe has been the focus of SOLI’s largest and most significant mission to date. VanDyke and his group made a significant shift in favour of Kyiv after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and SOLI started actively training, advising, and supplying the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Their efforts quickly grew to encompass the creation of battlefield innovations, a thorough demining program to remove unexploded Russian munitions, and specialised frontline tactical instruction. According to reports, VanDyke personally joined the Ukrainian military to serve as a combat professional. From a small outfit training localised militias to a highly coordinated apparatus supporting a conventional European army against a global superpower, his organisation’s deep involvement in Ukraine showed a major evolution.

It also shows another important aspect. SOLI is doing what the Western-NATO establishment, particularly the US military interests want to be done.

VanDyke’s interactions with the US military date back years. During his early travels, he embedded with US Army units in Afghanistan, including at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Baylough, and remained in contact with soldiers he encountered there.

Digital footprints of Matthew VanDyke

The distinction between a popular figure and a covert agent is virtually nonexistent in the context of contemporary proxy warfare. Matthew VanDyke’s online presence, concentrated on his Twitter/X account (@Matt_VanDyke), functions as a digital diary of what security researchers refer to as ‘ transparency-based militancy.’ Unlike typical private military contractors, who operate in complete secrecy, VanDyke uses his platform to broadcast his missions, frequently in real time. VanDyke’s digital past is riddled with what one can consider confessional tweets where he defends violating international conventions or domestic laws in favour of what he thinks as a greater moral goal, but is often aligned with the current interests of NATO powers, especially the US military industrial complex.

VanDyke has famously tweeted variations on his idea that as long as his squad is shooting in the right direction (against alleged dictatorships such as Russia or ISIS), the US government will look the other way. This particular style of bravado leads to assume he would attempt an unauthorised crossing into the Myanmar-India border zone. Since 2022, his feed has been filled with constant updates from Ukraine. However, by late 2025, observers noticed a shift in his rhetoric toward broadening the front against Russia’s allies.

These close ties to Ukraine are what led to the recent, very contentious event on the Indian subcontinent. On March 13, seven foreign nationals, six Ukrainians and one American, were detained by India’s top counterterrorism agency, the NIA, on suspicion of entering India illegally in order to go through neighbouring Myanmar. Authorities claim that these people were using the Indian state of Mizoram’s porous borders to smuggle European drone technology and give advanced military and terrorist training to ethnic rebel groups in Myanmar, which are currently fighting the ruling military junta in a bloody civil war.

The identity of the detainees have been kept under stringent operational secrecy by official authorities. However, profound speculation on social media has quickly filled the gap in official information. Rumours that the unidentified American is Matthew VanDyke, working with a group of Ukrainian veterans connected to his group, are rife on platforms like X (previously Twitter) and other open source intelligence (OSINT) forums. Online investigators cite VanDyke’s close logistical ties to the Ukrainian military, SOLI’s documented history of crossing borders to train anti-authoritarian rebels, and his recent public admissions of conducting covert operations in other international locations, including Venezuela.

Strategic geopolitics

It is very important to remember that this connection is still entirely speculative at this point. The names of the accused have not been made public by the NIA, and Opindia is unable to independently confirm the American’s identity. Nonetheless, the simple plausibility of the rumour, the fact that the OSINT world regards VanDyke’s involvement in Myanmar as totally in character, calls for a more in-depth investigation into why Ukrainian fighters would be operating in Southeast Asia at all. Why would Ukraine, a country engaged in a fierce battle against Russia for its own survival, want to train rebels in Myanmar? 

It is notable here that the presence of Ukrainian and Ukraine war elements on the Myanmar-India border, especially for training insurgent groups in Myanmar, was raised as a concern by Mizoram CM Lalduhoma in March 2025 itself.

The answer is found in a complicated web of global alliances and asymmetric proxy warfare strategies. The Myanmar military junta, commanded by Min Aung Hlaing, is one of Putin’s most steadfast and uncritical allies. Naypyidaw fully supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 after the military takeover in Myanmar in 2021 cut off the junta from the West. In exchange, Moscow has been the junta’s main source of support, providing the Myanmar Air Force with Mi-38 helicopters, Su-30 flanker fighter jets, and surveillance drones, all of which have been incredibly successful against insurgent rebel groups.

For Ukraine, the conflict is no longer limited to the Donbass or Crimea, it is a global endeavour to drain Russian resources and undermine Russian allies wherever they are present. Reports have already surfaced of Ukrainian special forces fighting Russian backed Wagner mercenaries in Sudan and Syria. A move into Myanmar is an ideal fit for this global plan. Ukrainian operatives, or sympathetic American contractors deeply entwined with the Ukrainian cause, could severely interfere with a key Russian client state by providing tactical training and drone warfare expertise to Myanmar’s ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), forcing Moscow to invest more diplomatic and military capital far from the Donetsk battlefield.

For foreign operatives, India’s vast geography and neutral status may have appeared to be an excellent transit route into Myanmar’s troubled frontiers. However, the NIA’s prompt arrest of the foreign nationals sends a clear and unambiguous message, India will not allow its sovereign territory to be used as a staging ground for foreign proxy conflicts, regardless of geopolitical motives. While New Delhi may remain neutral on the global arena, it is fiercely defensive of its own security apparatus.

Conclusion

The episode of an American mercenary figure associated with Ukrainian combat forces highlights a significant shift in modern conflict. We are witnessing the globalisation of the battlefield, with American privateers and Ukrainian veterans purportedly emerging in the jungles of Myanmar to fight a proxy war against Russian interests, only to be intercepted by Indian counter-terrorism forces. VanDyke’s career, which took him from the deserts of Libya to the plains of Nineveh and finally to the trenches of Ukraine, serves as the ultimate model of mercenary fighters for this new century.

Update: The earlier version of this article has been modified slightly after the name of Matthew VanDyke was confirmed by media sources.

Bombay HC quashes 16-year-old SC/ST case as an ‘act of vengeance’: How a woman filed three cases against Mumbai professor for questioning reservation eligibility

Amit Kelkar
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Bombay HC quashes 16-year-old SC/ST case as an ‘act of vengeance’: How a woman filed three cases against Mumbai professor for questioning reservation eligibility

A recent ruling by the Bombay High Court has brought renewed attention to a contentious question: can stringent social justice laws be weaponised through repeated litigation?

In quashing a 16-year-old case against advocate and law professor Virendranath B. Tiwari, Justice Ashwin D. Bhobe did more than just dispose of a stale prosecution; he exposed a pattern that raises serious concerns about potential misuse of the SC/ST Act.

Three cases, one accused, similar allegations

At the heart of the matter lies a striking fact: this was not the first complaint Chitra Shalunkhe had filed against Tiwari. It was the third.

All three cases invoked provisions of the SC/ST Act, each stemming from broadly similar allegations. In the earlier two instances, Tiwari had already been acquitted or discharged. Yet, an FIR was registered once again, this time over a 2007 incident where Shalunkhe alleged that Tiwari questioned her qualifications for a reserved post and assaulted her.

Tiwari’s defence was direct: the complaints were retaliatory, triggered by his objections to her eligibility and academic credentials. The High Court appears to have found merit in this claim.

When law meets threshold: Court finds no offence

The Court’s reasoning was unambiguous. It held that even if the allegations were taken at face value, they failed to meet the essential ingredients required under the SC/ST Act.

There was no evidence of caste-based insult in public view. No use of casteist slur. No intimidation linked to caste identity.

This is not a procedural technicality; it goes to the very foundation of the law. The SC/ST Act is designed to address targeted, identity-based atrocities. Without that nexus, its invocation becomes legally untenable.

Even the complainant’s counsel conceded that key provisions, such as Section 3(1) (s), were not attracted due to the absence of caste-based humiliation.

Judicial recognition of “vengeance”

Perhaps the most consequential part of the judgment lies in its characterisation of the litigation pattern.

Justice Bhobe noted that initiating proceedings “for the third time” on similar grounds appeared to be “an act of vengeance aimed at causing harassment and humiliation” to the accused, a 74-year-old senior citizen.

This observation shifts the case from a mere acquittal to something more systemic: a judicial acknowledgement that legal processes themselves can be misused as instruments of pressure.

IPC charges also falter

The attempt to sustain parallel charges under the IPC, including allegations of assault and outraging modesty, also collapsed under scrutiny. The Court found that the alleged umbrella incident did not satisfy the statutory thresholds required to constitute these offences.

Additionally, the Court clarified that the amended provisions of the SC/ST Act introduced in 2016 could not be retrospectively applied to a 2007 incident, closing another avenue that had been invoked to keep the case alive.

A case study in legal overreach?

This ruling does not dilute the importance of the SC/ST Act. The law remains a critical safeguard against caste-based violence and discrimination. However, cases like this underline a parallel reality: when invoked repeatedly without meeting legal thresholds, even well-intentioned laws risk being drawn into cycles of personal vendetta.

Three cases. Same complainant. Same accused. All are failing on foundational legal requirements.

The High Court’s intervention, therefore, is not just about one man’s legal relief; it is a reminder that the credibility of protective legislation depends as much on preventing misuse as it does on punishing genuine offences.

In drawing a firm line after years of litigation, the judiciary has signalled that while the law must remain strong, its application must remain precise.

Operation Roaring Lion: Why the US and Israel chose this moment to strike Iran and how it signals a strategic shift in West Asia’s power balance

Yaniv Revach
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Operation Roaring Lion: Why the US and Israel chose this moment to strike Iran and how it signals a strategic shift in West Asia’s power balance

The United States and Israel began military action against Iran’s Islamic regime on 28 February 2026. As a response, Iran started attacking Israel, the United States and moderate Arab countries in the region. Iran has tried to target the global economy by closing the Strait of Hormuz. I understand that the Gulf countries are extremely important for India. We are also concerned about the safety of nearly 10 million Indians living in these countries, about Indian farmers who depend on fertilisers coming from the Gulf, about the markets in that region, and about India’s energy security. Since India is a very close friend of Israel, if India is affected by this war, Israel cannot remain untouched by its consequences.

To understand why “Operation Roaring Lion” was necessary and why it was launched now, one must look at the past and present behaviour of Iran’s ruling regime. It is also important to consider what might happen in the future if it is not contained.

Forty-seven years ago, in 1979, an Islamic revolution in Iran brought fundamentalists to power. From the very beginning, this theocratic regime oppressed its citizens and denied them basic human rights. Internationally as well, it has used terrorism as a tool to pursue its objectives. After taking American diplomats hostage in 1979 and orchestrating suicide attacks through Hezbollah against hundreds of American, French, and Israeli citizens in Lebanon during the 1980s, Iran became the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.

This destructive terrorist network operates not only in the Middle East but across the globe. Iran has provided money, weapons, training, and strategic guidance to its proxy terrorist groups—Hezbollah, Hamas, militias in Iraq and Syria, and the Houthis in Yemen. In addition, its terrorist networks have spread to South America, Asia, and Africa.

The clerics who rule Iran follow an ideology so extreme that it is difficult to comprehend. This extremism is evident even in their treatment of their own citizens. The regime has imprisoned countless women for not wearing the hijab “properly.” People who protested peacefully against the regime have been shot dead or executed. In Iran, burning the flags of the United States and Israel and chanting slogans calling for their destruction is a routine occurrence at public events.

In recent years, Iran’s economic situation has deteriorated severely. Ordinary citizens struggle to meet their basic needs. Even in the capital, Tehran, water and electricity supply are limited. Yet the country’s leadership has spent billions of dollars supporting terrorist organisations and wasting resources. These actions have only resulted in tougher international sanctions against Iran.

Instead of stabilising the economy, Iran’s rulers accelerated their nuclear weapons program and increased the production of long-range ballistic missiles. These two reasons are why “Operation Roaring Lion” was launched at this time. Last June, Israel and the United States carried out airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear development facilities in an attempt to reduce the threat. We believed that this action would cause Iran to halt its efforts. Instead, Iran’s leadership pretended to negotiate with the United States while simultaneously beginning to construct its military nuclear facilities and ballistic missile production sites deep underground so that they would become impossible to neutralise. Therefore, it became necessary to eliminate these urgent threats to Israel’s very existence before their plans could be completed.

Although Iran’s Islamic regime openly seeks the destruction of Israel, its threat is not limited to Israel alone. Iran has also created dangers for other countries in the Gulf. Evidence of this can be seen in its missile attacks on its Arab neighbours. At the same time, Iran has demonstrated the capability to strike targets in Europe with long-range missiles and continues to develop technologies that could reach the United States.

Allowing such destructive weapons to fall into the hands of a regime that has worked for 47 years toward our destruction would be like inviting disaster.

An unchecked theocracy that encourages terrorist organisations, fuels conflicts in neighbouring countries, and exports its Islamic revolution will only increase instability in West Asia and beyond. Such a regime could threaten any country that comes within the expanding range of its ballistic missiles. Moreover, Iran’s hardline rulers could establish permanent control over crucial global maritime routes used for transporting oil and gas, something that would be devastating for the global economy in the long run.

Today, Iran’s attempt to punish the entire world by trying to close the Strait of Hormuz has shown that our concerns were justified. If Iran’s rulers succeed in their ambitions of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, it would become a nightmare for the world. Israel and the United States are determined not to allow this nightmare to become reality. That is why our leaders have taken this difficult decision.

For both India and Israel, the IMEC (India–Middle East–Europe Corridor) and the I2U2 group (India, Israel, the UAE, and the United States) are extremely important. The biggest threat to these projects comes from Iran and the terrorist networks it has created in the Gulf region. Attacking countries that are not involved in the war, stopping the transport of crude oil, natural gas, and fertilisers from the Gulf to hold the global economy hostage, and then blaming the United States and Israel for it, this is like a thief crying foul. I am confident that the United States, India, Israel, and the Gulf countries will work together to overcome this crisis and transform the Gulf into a global centre of peace, stability, prosperity, and progress.

‘They came with a huge consignment of European drones, trained with Myanmar militants for ethnic wars in Indian border areas’: NIA investigates 6 Ukrainians and 1 American

Shraddha Pandey
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‘They came with a huge consignment of European drones, trained with Myanmar militants for ethnic wars in Indian border areas’: NIA investigates 6 Ukrainians and 1 American

On 16th March 2026, a Special NIA Court at Patiala House Court remanded seven foreigners into 11 days’ custody of the National Investigation Agency. The arrested accused include six Ukrainians and a US citizen. The authorities arrested Ukrainians from Delhi, three from Lucknow and one US citizen from Kolkata.

The investigators revealed that the arrested foreigners arrived in India on a visa and then entered Mizoram, which is a protected area. Subsequently, they entered Myanmar and contacted ethnic war groups.

The NIA further stated that the arrested Ukrainian and American nationals were trained in Myanmar and were training ethnic war groups, adding that these outfits are linked with insurgent groups in India.

According to the NIA, the arrested foreigners brought a huge consignment of drones from Europe through India. The investigation revealed that all the accused had entered India on valid visas but reached Mizoram without the mandatory Restricted Area Permit (RAP).

The Patiala House Court has extended the accused’s custody until March 27 to unravel the depth of the conspiracy and funding routes. The probe agency is now scanning their cell phone data and social media accounts to uncover their other suspected accomplices and foreign handlers hiding in India.

“The aspects of collection of evidence, unearthing criminal conspiracy, identification of co-accused persons and analysis of mobile data of accused persons are such that police custody of accused persons is justified,” Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma said.

The accused persons have been booked under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for criminal conspiracy to commit illegal or terrorist acts.

Foreigners are entering Myanmar via Mizoram: Chief Minister Lalduhoma raised an alarm over foreign elements attempting to destabilise the Myanmar-Mizoram area in 2025

For quite some time, Myanmar has turned into a battleground for control between China and the US. While the arrest of foreigners allegedly involved in terrorist activities has sent shockwaves across the country, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma had raised the alarm in March last year. The Chief Minister had publicly stated that foreigners, particularly from the US and UK, are crossing into Myanmar through Mizoram via the porous borders. These foreigners are entering Myanmar to train insurgents.

Addressing the Mizoram assembly, CM Lalduhoma revealed that between June and December 2024, over 2,000 foreigners visited Aizawl. However, they were never seen on the streets, fuelling the suspicion that they entered Mizoram only to cross into Myanmar and interfere in the neighbouring country’s internal affairs.

The Mizoram CM mentioned the case of one UK national, Daniel Newey, who was arrested with one live ammunition in June 2024. Newey was nabbed at Lengpui airport and was booked under the Arms Act, 1959.

CM Lalduhoma had also said that among those who entered Myanmar via Mizoram had previously partaken in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Back then, CM Lalduhoma had also expressed surprise at the then US Ambassador, Eric Garcetti’s visit to Mizoram, hinting at the US government’s direct interest in the developments in India’s northeast and Myanmar.

The Indian government re-imposed the protected area regime (PAR) in Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram to monitor the entry of foreign nationals.

India remembers the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts but the Islamic terror attack in Kolkata remains forgotten: Read how Rashid Khan and his aides killed 69 people

Divya Bharti
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India remembers the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts but the Islamic terror attack in Kolkata remains forgotten: Read how Rashid Khan and his aides killed 69 people

In March 1993, India went through one of the most frightening periods in its modern history. The country was still trying to understand the massive serial bomb blasts in Mumbai when another deadly explosion shook Kolkata just days later. While the Mumbai attacks are widely remembered, the blast that took place in Kolkata’s Bowbazar area around the same time remains far less talked about.

The terror attack occurred in the early hours of 16th March, 1993, when a deadly explosion destroyed two residential buildings in the crowded Bowbazar area of Kolkata.

The Mumbai blasts that shook the nation

On 12th March, 1993, a series of coordinated bomb explosions ripped through Mumbai, then called Bombay. Multiple blasts targeted busy commercial and public locations across the city. The attacks killed more than 250 people and injured over 1,300 others, leaving the country shocked.

From the investigations carried out, it was concluded that the operation involved a large number of Islamists and was carefully planned. Police believed that as many as 50 terrorists may have taken part in the bombings. Explosives were planted at several sites, including busy markets and office complexes.

Authorities later traced possible links between the attacks and members of Mumbai’s powerful underworld networks. Investigators also found the role of gangster Dawood Ibrahim, who was believed to be operating from Dubai at the time.

The police also discovered unexploded devices during their search operations. Two motor scooters filled with plastic explosives were found and safely defused in a crowded diamond merchants’ market, preventing further casualties.

The scale and coordination of the attacks created panic across the country, and intelligence agencies warned that more attacks could take place.

Sharad Pawar, who was the Maharashtra Chief Minister at that time, infamously invented a 13th bomb blast to protect ‘secularism’ (falsely claimed that an explosion took place in a ‘Muslim area’ to divert focus from the Islamists involved in the terror attack).

A deadly terror attack in Kolkata

Just a few days after the Mumbai blasts, there was yet another explosion in India, and this time it was in Kolkata.

On 16th March, 1993, a powerful explosion took place in the Bowbazar area in the centre of the city. The explosion was so powerful that it destroyed two buildings in the region, causing fires in several buildings in the area.

People were sleeping in their homes when the blast took place. Within seconds, buildings collapsed, and people were trapped under the debris. Soon, fires broke out in the buildings.

Screengrab of the news report by The New York Times

Police said at least 45 people were killed in the initial hours after the explosion. The death toll later rose to 69 as rescue teams recovered more bodies from the rubble. The blast was strong enough to be heard nearly three miles away.

Fires and desperate rescue operations

Bowbazar is one of the most crowded areas of Kolkata. It is both a residential and commercial area surrounded by the city’s major gold and furniture markets. Hundreds of families live in tightly packed buildings there.

At the time of the explosion, about 125 people were believed to be living in the two apartment blocks that collapsed.

After the blast, both buildings caught fire, making rescue work extremely difficult. At least ten fire engines were rushed to the area, and firefighters spent more than two hours battling the flames.

Many buildings were also affected, and some caught fire as well. People were trapped inside several structures. Residents described scenes of panic and confusion. One neighbour recalled being woken up by a loud explosion just after midnight.

When he ran outside, he said the area was filled with smoke and screams. Many injured people were lying on the streets, while others were trapped under the rubble.

Before ambulances could reach the area, residents and volunteers began helping the injured. Trucks and private vehicles were used to carry victims to nearby hospitals. People in the neighbourhood also appealed for blood donations as hospitals struggled to treat the large number of injured victims.

Questions over what caused the blast

Initially, police believed that a bomb had caused the explosion. However, investigators also considered another possibility. One officer suggested that a large quantity of explosives might have been stored inside one of the buildings and could have exploded due to careless handling.

Because of this possibility, authorities said the blast might not have been planned in the same way as the coordinated attacks in Mumbai. At that time, it was also unclear whether the Kolkata explosion had any connection with the bombings in Mumbai that had occurred just four days earlier.

Screengrab of a news report by The Independent

The area where the explosion took place is located close to several important government buildings, including the state government headquarters at Writers’ Building and the city’s police headquarters.

The incident, therefore, raised serious concerns about security across major Indian cities.

International warnings and ongoing investigations

The tense situation following the Mumbai blasts had already led to international alerts.

The United States had warned Indian authorities that more attacks could take place. The US State Department informed New Delhi that intelligence suggested there might be a heightened threat of further terrorist activity in the Indian capital.

Washington even advised American citizens to postpone travel to India temporarily. US bomb experts also offered to assist Indian investigators in examining the explosives used in the Mumbai blasts. Authorities hoped the analysis might help determine whether there was any link with other incidents.

The police continued their investigation into the network behind the Mumbai bombings. Two suspects believed to have been involved in the attacks were surrounded by police during a raid but managed to escape after a gunfight.

Criminal networks and economic motives

Investigators believed that the Mumbai blasts involved members of the city’s organised crime groups.

At the time, Mumbai’s underworld had long been involved in smuggling gold, electronics and foreign currency into India from Gulf countries. But economic reforms introduced in the early 1990s reduced import duties and weakened the smuggling trade.

With their earlier sources of income shrinking, criminal gangs increasingly turned toward drugs, extortion and other illegal activities. Authorities suspected that such networks may have played a role in helping carry out the bombings. However, questions remained about why criminal groups would cooperate in such large-scale attacks on Indian cities.

The Bowbazar terror attack and the 2015 debate

The investigation into the Bowbazar explosion eventually led to the arrest of several individuals.

One of the main accused in the case was Rashid Khan, known locally as a satta operator. According to investigators, explosives had been stored in a building linked to him.The explosion that destroyed the buildings in Bowbazar was believed to have been caused by the stored explosives.

In 2001, Khan was convicted under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, or TADA, and sentenced to life imprisonment. More than a decade later, in 2015, the West Bengal government considered releasing him from prison.

By that time, Khan was over 60 years old and had spent many years in jail. Officials said he had maintained good conduct during his imprisonment and had even begun learning painting while in custody. Sources said the State Sentence Review Board examined the possibility of his release under provisions that allow remission of sentences.

However, the proposal created debate among officials because he had been convicted under TADA, a central anti-terror law.

Authorities also noted that the Calcutta High Court had earlier confirmed his life sentence, and the judicial department planned to seek the court’s views before any final decision.

2025 court ruling on another convict

More than three decades after the blast, the case returned to court again in 2025. A division bench of the Calcutta High Court cancelled the early release of another life convict in the Bowbazar blast case, Md Khalid.

Khalid had earlier been granted remission by a single judge of the High Court. However, the State Review Board later expressed doubts about releasing him.

The division bench, consisting of Justices Debangsu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashidi, examined the matter and ruled that the earlier order directing his release could not stand.

The judges said that courts reviewing such matters should mainly check whether authorities followed the proper process while deciding on remission. They should not replace the decision taken by the review board if it is reasonable.

The bench noted that the board had given clear reasons for refusing Khalid’s release and that its decision could not be described as arbitrary.

Kolkata Police had also raised concerns during the review process, warning that Khalid might return to criminal activity if released. Police told the court that Khalid had worked closely with Rashid Khan and had carried out various criminal activities under his instructions to create fear in the area.

Khalid, who is now around 60 years old, has spent over 30 years in prison after being arrested in 1993. His lawyers told the court that he suffers from diabetes and requires medical care.

However, the court observed that remission cannot be claimed as a right. While a convict may request consideration for early release, the final decision must depend on legal rules and the assessment of authorities.

The bench ultimately directed the review board to reconsider Khalid’s request in accordance with the law.

A forgotten chapter of 1993

While today, the Mumbai blasts of 1993 have become a very popular memory, the terror attack that took place just a few days after the blasts in the Bowbazar area of Kolkata does not receive much attention.

While for some, the terror attack is still a memory, for others, it is a reminder of the damage it caused, including the destruction of homes and the loss of many lives.

More than three decades later, court cases related to the incident continue to surface from time to time, reminding the country that the terror attack was not limited to Mumbai alone.

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