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160 illegal immigrants being deported from Delhi to Bangladesh, to be flown to Tripura and then sent to Bangladesh border by road

ANI
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160 illegal immigrants being deported from Delhi to Bangladesh, to be flown to Tripura and then sent to Bangladesh border by road

Around 160 Bangladeshi nationals are being deported from the capital city of Delhi to Bangladesh through the Hindon airbase on Thursday, said sources.

The sources added that the Bangladeshi nationals will first be flown to Tripura on a special aircraft, from where they will be deported by road to the Bangladesh border for repatriation.

In recent months, after the Pahalgam terror attack, Delhi Police has identified nearly 470 Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in the city and has deported them through the same channel — via Tripura and then across the Bangladesh border by road.

Among these 160 deportees, most of them had infiltrated into India, while many of them did not go back to Bangladesh even after their visas expired.

Earlier today, the Crime Branch of Delhi Police detained four illegal Bangladeshi nationals from the Narela area of Delhi after a team from the Inter-State Cell (ISC), Crime Branch, Chanakyapuri carried out an operation.

“The team had been conducting surveillance and intelligence-gathering for over a month to identify undocumented migrants residing in vulnerable areas,” said an official statement from Delhi police.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Harsh Indora stated that the detained individuals were identified as Hafijul (19), Mominul (21), Shamim (22), and Inamul (38), who are allegedly from the Rangpur district in Bangladesh.

The police launched this operation based on multiple intelligence inputs and reports indicating the presence of undocumented foreign nationals in the city. These individuals were believed to have entered the country illegally, bypassing immigration checks, and had been living without any valid documents.

“Officers conducted ground-level verifications at makeshift settlements, roadside dwellings, and known labour congregation points in Narela. Individuals were questioned and subjected to identity verification, during which the four were found lacking any legal documentation and admitted to their illegal entry and continued stay in India,” the statement read.

None of the detainees were able to produce any valid identity proof of either Indian or Bangladeshi origin, DCP Indora added.

According to the police’s preliminary investigation, all four individuals had entered India during childhood with their parents, who subsequently returned to Bangladesh. Since then, they have been residing illegally in India, moving across several cities, including Bahadurgarh, Sonipat, Khurja, Mahendragarh, Ghaziabad, Behror, and finally Delhi, to avoid detection.

“They had been living secretly on roadsides and informal settlements for years and stated that they had no relatives or legal ties in India. Their families, including parents, siblings, and grandparents, continue to reside in Bangladesh,” the statement read.

Police said that the four individuals are currently in a detention centre and are being processed in accordance with the law.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

After Chinese propaganda that Indonesia was cancelling deal for 42 Rafale jets over Pakistani claim of shooting down Indian jet, Indonesian govt signs agreement for 18 more Rafales

OpIndia Staff
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After Chinese propaganda that Indonesia was cancelling deal for 42 Rafale jets over Pakistani claim of shooting down Indian jet, Indonesian govt signs agreement for 18 more Rafales

The Indonesian government on Wednesday signed a letter of intent to purchase additional 18 Rafale jets from Dassault Aviation of France. This will be additional purchase over a previous order for 42 Rafale fighter aircraft placed in 2022. The LOI was signed during French president Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Jakarta.

Notably, this development comes after Chinese media tried to spread the rumour that Indonesia was having a second thought about an earlier deal for 42 Rafale jets after Pakistan claimed to have shot down Rafale jets of India during the recent India-Pakistan conflict.

Earlier this month, Chinese outlet South China Morning Post had claimed that the deal was under scrutiny after the Pakistani claim that they shot down three Indian Rafale jets, a false claimed amplified by Chinese media. The SCMP wrote that the development triggered alarm in Indonesia, and raised questions in Jakarta about the cost, capability and strategic logic behind the US$8.1 billion deal signed in 2022 for 42 jets.

Other reports had claimed that Indonesia’s Ministry of Defence initiated a review of the aircraft’s operational reliability after the Pakistani claims. Spanish defence portal Galaxi Amilitar claimed that Indonesian govt has paused the purchase of 42 Rafales, citing ‘unverified sources’. It said that the news that Pakistan may have shot down three Rafales in the recent clash with India has cast a shadow over the aircraft’s combat reputation. 

However, the report quoted an Indonesian official as saying, “Unverified allegations in conflict zones cannot be used as the sole basis for assessing the effectiveness or failure of a particular weapons system.” Dave Laksono, a senior member of Indonesia’s Commission I, said that even American jets like the F-16, F/A-18, and F-22 have suffered losses in complex combat conditions, and therefore he Rafale’s performance cannot be measured by a single incident, that is not even confirmed.

However, now as Indonesia has signed a letter of interest for additional 18 Rafale jets, it shows that the all the claims of the country having second thoughts about the deal was false and baseless. Notably, the LOI is a preliminary defence pact, which may lead to a formal order.

Talking about the agreement, French president Emmanuel Macron said “I am delighted that the letter of intent signed today could open up a new perspective with new orders for Rafales, Scorpenes, light frigates.”

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who addressed a joint press conference with Macron, said that France was one of Indonesia’s main partners as it upgrades its military hardware and develops its defence industry through joint production and technology transfers.

Apart from the Rafale jets, Indonesia has also shown interest in acquiring two Scorpène submarines, frigates, and CAESAR artillery systems from France.

While Indonesia placed orders for 42 Rafale jets in 2022, it is expected to receive its first fighter jet by 2026. The Indonesian Air Force chief Mohamad Tonny Harjono said in February that six jets would arrive in early 2026.

ANI vs Mohak Mangal: The YouTuber agrees to edit video to remove defamatory content, Delhi HC accepts plea to retain amended video and not delete it

OpIndia Staff
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ANI vs Mohak Mangal: The YouTuber agrees to edit video to remove defamatory content, Delhi HC accepts plea to retain amended video and not delete it

The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed YouTuber Mohak Mangal to remove certain parts from his video against Asian News International (ANI). While the court had initially said that the video contains defamatory language and it must be taken down, later the court agreed to Mangal’s plea to remove only objectionable comments from the video and retain the edited video.

By agreeing to this plea, the court rejected ANI’s plea to remove the video altogether. The court made the oral observation while hearing a defamation suit filed by ANI against Mohak Mangal.

Notably, Comedian Kunal Kamra and AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair are also named as defendants in the case for sharing the video. Zubair managed to got his name removed from the case by voluntarily offering his tweet sharing the video. However, as Kunal Kamra declined to do so, the court asked him to remove the tweet containing defamatory words for ANI like thugs and mafia.

ANI had filed the case after Mohak Mangal posted a video on YouTube claiming that ANI was extorting money in exchange of removing copyright strikes on his channel for using ANI footage in his videos. After seeing the video in the courtroom, Justice Amit Bansal said Mangal should have put out his message in a more civilised manner.

The judged then asked Mangal’s counsel to take instructions from his client on taking down the video. The judge initially rejected the plea to remove only the objectionable parts. “Takedown. Whoever is using this kind of language, take instructions,” the single-judge bench said.

Senior Advocate Amit Sibal, son of Kapil Sibal, and advocate Sidhant Kumar appeared for ANI. Sibal said that Mohak Mangal could have rejected the proposal to buy ANI subscription to use its videos, but instead he posted defamatory material against the news agency. “He starts a media campaign against me that has spiraled into a concerted campaign which is nothing short of vilifying and per se defamatory. They are calling me (ANI) thugs, extortionist, gunda, other expletives,” he added.

On the other hand, Mangal’s counsel Senior Advocate Chander Lall said that ANI has no right to force him to buy its licence, saying that if he pays ₹40 lakh for subscription and they his channel is blocked, he will be stuck as he will still have to pay. He also highlighted that ANI offered to allow the video to remain if the amount was paid.

When advocate Chander Lall said that his client will edit the video to remove the objectionable parts, the court declined, saying the entire vide must be taken down.

However, when the court reconvened after lunch break, the court accepted the proposal to edit the video, and asked to rework it. The court agreed to the argument that Mangal’s right to express his opinion can’t be curtailed, and only defamatory language must be removed.

Mangal’s counsel Lal said that for now the video will be put in private mode, and after both parties decide on the amendments to remove objected portions, the edited video will be published. The counsel presented the ‘red line portion’ of the video which will be removed. The court agreed to this plea, saying that Mangal can repost the video after removing the objected content.

The court in its order said, “defendant 1 (Mangal) shall put the impugned video in private mode and make the necessary amendments in the video so as to remove objectionable portions as indicated in the hearing. The red line version of the video after removing the portions shall be supplied to plaintiff counsel during the course of the day”.

Notably, while the court had said that Mangal should remove the video and upload a new video without the defamatory content, Mangal’s counsel resisted this. When asked why, he said that the video was being monetised, and if it is deleted, entire revenue earned on it will vanish. Therefore he proposed to keep the video private for now, and then edit it without deleting it, so that the revenue remains. The court agreed to this argument.

While ANI’s counsel Sibal insisted that the video must be removed, after court agreed on edited video, he mentioned several other portions that need to be removed, apart from those proposed by Lal.

The court noted that Mohak can retain the part where he said ANI is not fair, as it is an opinion and not defamatory. The judged said, “You will take out “ghatiya”, “Boht chant hain” “mai ANI ke sath negotiate krne nahi aaya”… The full sentence will have to go. Then next “wasooli” , next “kidnap karlete hain”, and then “hafta vasooli”…”

The High Court stated that Mohak Mangal is allowed to quote and paraphrase his conversation with ANI employee. Moreover, the court also stated that the emails will be shown without blurring.

The court said that it will order X to remove posts sharing the video. The next day of the hearing has been fixed on 31 July.

BJP Minority Morcha President Jamal Siddiqui says Muslims are descendants of Lord Ram, Sanatan Dharma predates Islam

OpIndia Staff
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BJP Minority Morcha President Jamal Siddiqui says Muslims are descendants of Lord Ram, Sanatan Dharma predates Islam

BJP Minority Morcha President Jamal Siddiqui has stated that Sanatan Dharma predates Islam and that it is the foundation of India’s civilisation. In an interview with India Today, Siddiqui said that all the Muslims in India have a common ancestry with Hindus. He said that the Indian Muslims are the descendants of Lord Ram. “Sanatan Dharma came much before Islam. It is the foundation of our civilisation,” said Siddiqui.

Those not believing in Ram, Krishna cannot be Muslims: Siddiqui

Siddiqui spoke about the origins of religion, the status of Hindu deities within the Islamic tradition. He said that Hindu deities can be accomodated within Islamic spiritual lineage. “Muslims who do not believe in Ram and Krishna cannot be called Muslims,” Siddiqui claimed. Quoting Islamic theology, Siddiqui said that Islam acknowledges more than one prophet. “The Quran mentions 25 prophets, but according to Hadith and tradition, there were 1,24,000 prophets sent across the world. How can we say Lord Ram and Lord Krishna were not among them?” he questioned. “They may well have been messengers of God.” he claimed.

Muslim commmunity has roots in ancient Hindu tradition: Siddiqui

Siddiqui asserted that the roots of the Muslim community are entwined with the ancient Hindu tradition. He said that the methods of worship have changed but the underlying culture has remained the same. “Our identity is still Sanatani,” Siddiqui said.

There is a temple under every mosque: Siddiqui

Speaking to the media in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh on 26th May, Siddiqui said that a temple could be found beneath every mosque in the country.

Explaining his statement, Siddiqui said that India has historically been a land of temples. “If you dig under any mosque, you will find a temple. That’s because India has been a land of temples. It is a land of Sanatan. Islam came to India much later. Some people accepted Islam. They built mosques and other Islamic places of worship,” he said.

Congress leaders attack Shashi Tharoor for highlighting India’s change in approach in tackling Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism, Tharoor hits back

Shraddha Pandey
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Congress leaders attack Shashi Tharoor for highlighting India’s change in approach in tackling Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism, Tharoor hits back

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is leading a multi-party delegation on a global outreach programme to various countries regarding the Pakistan-backed Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor. While Congress has, over the years, been sidelining and insulting Shashi Tharoor for exercising intellectual freedom and not essentially being a Gandhi family Darbari, he has once again become a target of his own party leaders, even while he is on a national duty.

The row erupted after Congress leader Udit Raj questioned Tharoor’s loyalty towards the party on Wednesday (28th May 2025) and accused him of functioning as a “super spokesperson” of the Bhartiya Janata Party by echoing the BJP’s narrative in Panama.

Taking to X, Udit Raj said, “My dear @ShashiTharoor Alas ! I could prevail upon PM Modi to declare you as super spokesperson of BJP , even declaring as foreign minister before landing in India  . How could you denigrate the golden history of Congress by saying that before PM Modi , India never crossed LOC and International border . In 1965 Indian Army entered Pakistan at multiple points, which completely surprised the Pakistanis in the Lahore sector. In 1971 , India tore Pakistan in two pieces and during UPA Govt several surgical strikes were unleashed but drum beating was not done to encash politically . How could you be so dishonest to the party which gave you so much?”

Speaking to ANI, Udit Raj doubled down his attack on Tharoor and said, “Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is the super spokesperson of the BJP, and what the BJP leaders are not saying, speaking in favour of PM Modi and the government, Shashi Tharoor is doing… Does he (Shashi Tharoor) even know what the earlier governments used to do? … They (the Central government) are taking credit for the Indian Armed Forces. Shashi Tharoor has become the spokesperson for the publicity stunts of the BJP.”

Further escalating his attacks on Tharoor, Udit Raj claimed that the 2016 surgical strikes against terror establishments in Pakistan were ‘fake’ and said, “He [Shashi Tharoor] is trying to malign Congress by saying the party has done nothing. You are glorifying PM Modi’s fake surgical strikes. Defending, saying that security lapses happen everywhere, is a crime… The credit that the Army deserves should only go to the Army.”

Notably, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is leading a multi-party delegation in a global outreach programme, recently said in Panama that India has changed its approach in recent years, and terrorists have also realised they will have to pay a price.

What Shashi Tharoor said in Panama

Referring to 2016’s Surgical strike and 2019’s Balakot airstrike in his address, the Congress MP said, “What has changed in recent years is that the terrorists have also realised they will have a price to pay; on that, let there be no doubt. When, for the first time, India breached the Line of Control between India and Pakistan to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base, a launch pad – the Uri strike in September 2015. That was already something we had not done before. Even during the Kargil War, we had not crossed the Line of Control; in Uri, we did, and then came the attack in Pulwama in January 2019.”

“This time, we crossed not only the Line of Control but also the international border, and we struck the terrorist headquarters in Balakot. This time, we have gone beyond both of those. We have not only gone beyond the Line of Control and the international border. We have struck at the Punjabi heartland of Pakistan by hitting terror bases, training centres, and terror headquarters in nine places,” Tharoor added.

Congress continues prioritising party narrative over nation by turning against Shashi Tharoor while he presents India’s narrative on foreign soil

Instead of reining Udit Raj since Tharoor is still on a national duty, Congress leadership decided to join him in attacking their own party colleague for not toeing Congress’s narrative on foreign soil.

In this vein, Congress leader Pawan Khera took to X to ‘refute’ Tharoor’s remarks in Panama where he had stated India crossed the Line of Control for the first time in September 2015. Khera refuted Tharoor’s claims, citing former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement that many surgical strikes were conducted under the UPA government. Khera shared a video clip of Singh’s statement on social media, emphasizing that surgical strikes were not new to the current government.

Khera shared a link to the video and captioned it, “Former PM Manmohan Singh: Many Surgical Strikes Conducted Under UPA….”

In another post, the Congress leader wrote, “Professionally done, target-specific, limited-calibre counter-terrorist operations have been carried out across the LoC in the past too, but this is for the first time that the government has made it public,” Jaishankar said this to the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs in October 2016.”

Khera also shared the image of a page from Tharoor’s book “The Paradoxical Prime Minister”, in which, Tharoor being someone ideologically opposed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sharply criticised the public announcement of the 2016 Surgical Strikes along the LoC in Pakistan, however, unlike Udit Raj, who mindlessly declared the strike as “fake” and yet enjoy his party’s backing, Tharoor never raised such outrageous questions.

Meanwhile, reports say that Congress would be demanding an explanation from Shashi Tharoor on why he allegedly ‘contradicted’ party’s stand.

The public fallout not only highlights serious internal tensions within the Congress party amid its international outreach efforts but also shows that the Congress party would not shy away from attacking its own party leader for voicing his fact-based opinion while on national duty. Congress’s jibes against Shashi Tharoor, however, are not shocking given the party did not even submit his name for the multi-party delegation, disregarding the fact that the Thiruvananthapuram MP is not only a legislator with expertise in foreign affairs but also the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.

Shashi Tharoor responds to “zealots” attacking him for his remarks in Panama

Taking to X, Shashi Tharoor has strongly reacted to the unwarranted criticism directed his way for his statement in Panama regarding the shift in India’s approach in responding to Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism. Tharoor said that he was explicitly speaking only about reprisals for terrorist attacks and not about previous wars, and that his remarks were preceded by a reference to the several attacks that have taken place in recent years alone.

“After a long and successful day in Panama, i have to wind up at midnight vhere with departure for Bogota, Colombia in six hours, so I don’t really have time for this — but anyway: For those zealots fulminating about my supposed ignorance of Indian valour across the LoC: in the past. 1. I was clearly and explicitly speaking only about reprisals for terrorist attacks and not about previous wars; & 2. My remarks were preceded by a reference to the several attacks that have taken place in recent years alone, during which previous Indian responses were both restrained and constrained by our responsible respect for the LoC and the IB. But as usual, critics and trolls are welcome to distort my views and words as they see fit. I genuinely have better things to do. Goodnight,” Tharoor said.

Shashi Tharoor paying the price of not being a Gandhi family sycophant

From Centre picking Shashi Tharoor over Congress-recommended MPs considering his strong diplomatic credentials, Tharoor accepting centre’s decision and joining the delegation going against Congress’s decision, to now fiercely presenting India’s perspective on counter-terrorism, the Congress party has continuously been targeting Shashi Tharoor.

In fact, the Thiruvananthapuram MP has constantly been attacked by his party colleagues over the past few years. In April 2024, a group of Congress workers stopped party MP Shashi Tharoor during an election campaign in Balaramapuram in Thiruvananthapuram city of Kerala. They raised ‘go back’ and ‘no vote for you’ slogans against Tharoor.

In 2019, senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan mocked Shashi Tharoor and said that it is not “Oxford English” but “anti-Modi” stand that had helped the party-led front win the Thiruvananthapuram seat from which Tharoor contested.  This verbal attack by Muraleedharan on his party colleague came days after Tharoor had said that he has always been a proponent of praising PM Modi for his right policy decisions. Tharoor had stated that lauding PM Modi for correct decisions will also add to the credibility of the opposition.

In February this year, Shashi Tharoor expressed dissatisfaction over his role in the party. He met Rahul Gandhi to express discontent over being sidelined in the party and not being given opportunities to participate in major debates inside the Parliament. However, Tharoor was left disgruntled after Gandhi failed to address his concerns. Tharoor’s dissatisfaction also arose from his removal from the charge of the All India Professional Congress (AIPC), a body which he had established.

OpIndia’s detailed report on how Congress has been continuously cornering and humiliating Shashi Tharoor for not blindly following the Gandhi family’s diktats and how this approach of Congress has forced many of its leaders to quit the party can be read here.

Bengaluru: 35-year-old Babajan, with 3 wives and 9 children, started burglaries to maintain his ever-growing family, used his minor son as accomplice

OpIndia Staff
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Bengaluru: 35-year-old Babajan, with 3 wives and 9 children, started burglaries to maintain his ever-growing family, used his minor son as accomplice

A bizarre case of a burglary has come to light from Bengaluru, Karnataka where police caught a burglar who trained his own son to help him commit thefts.

As per reports, a 35-year-old burglar identified as Babajan, having three wives and nine children (eight daughters and a son) had committed a series of thefts in Bengaluru. His three wives live separately in Srirangapatna, Anekal, and Chikkaballapura respectively. To maintain his large family, Babajan started committing thefts.

Babajan constantly looked out for unlocked doors and houses left open to target. However, with the police actively watching against incidents of burglary, Babajan came up with the idea of using his minor son for burglaries. He was aware of the fact that being a minor, his son would not face harsh punishment, in case he was caught. Hence, Babajan trained his son as well in burglaries. He used to drop his son at target locations, where upon getting a chance, the minor would sneak in, steal stuff, and then slip away with his father.

However, their partnership came to end after they were caught by the police during one of their heists. The father-son duo committed burglary in the house of a 56-year old woman named Rojamma in Bettadasanapura on 7th May when she went up to the terrace to dry clothes. They stole gold jewellery, silverware, and cash worth ₹4.6 lakh from her house. The police identified them from the CCTV footage.

The father-son duo was caught by police inspector Naveen GM on 13th May from Mylasandra in Bengaluru. During interrogation, Babajan told the police how he trained his son and committed burglaries with his assistance. The police recovered 180 grams of gold, 550 grams of silver along with a two-wheeler from him. The items were stolen in 9 different incidents of theft.

DRDO Chairman says can’t fight future wars with past technologies, urges Indian industry to boost research and developments in indigenous defence capabilities

ANI
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DRDO Chairman says can’t fight future wars with past technologies, urges Indian industry to boost research and developments in indigenous defence capabilities

DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat on Thursday called on the Indian industry to significantly increase its investments in research and development to strengthen India’s indigenous defence capabilities.

“We need to invest more in research and development. Today, we spend 5 per cent of our Defence budget on R&D. The Raksha Mantri has promised us that in the next five years, this will increase gradually to 10% of the Defence budget,” Samir V Kamat said at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025.

“You can’t afford to fight future wars with past technologies. If you have to win future battles, you have to invest in R&D within the country,” he added.

He congratulated the armed forces for the success of Operation Sindoor.

“Let me place on record the DRDO appreciation of the armed forces’ efforts in conducting operations very successfully. I would also like to congratulate the Indian industry for helping us and producing the equipment they (Armed Forces) could use successfully during this operation,” he said.

“I would like to congratulate the Indian industry for contributing significantly to making India the fourth largest economy in the world,” he added.

He highlighted the importance of working towards advanced technologies for cutting-edge systems.

“Technological changes are galloping. Although manufacturing is required, without the ability to design and develop your systems, you will always have systems that are not the cutting-edge systems. We are not the leading R&D nation in the world at the moment. So we will have to catch up, which can be done by using the new emerging technologies,” Kamat noted.

He said India’s progress in Research and Development will not only strengthen its defence ecosystem but also expand defence exports. “We will work with you closely to make India a leading R&D country where people look to us for new innovations in defence technologies. If that happens, our exports will also increase.”

“We will be at a position where our enemies would not want to deal with us in any form of war, and we can then grow economically at a much faster rate with our focus on lifting the country to become a developed country, which is the vision of our Prime Minister by 2047,” he said.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

‘Troublemakers’, ‘Radical elements’: Inside Donald Trump’s war on foreign students in the US, and how it will adversely affect thousands of Indian youngsters

Shraddha Pandey
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‘Troublemakers’, ‘Radical elements’: Inside Donald Trump’s war on foreign students in the US, and how it will adversely affect thousands of Indian youngsters

Since his return to White House in January 2025, US President Donald Trump has spearheaded a series of aggressive policy reforms, including those regarding immigration policies targeting foreign students. The Trump administration is projecting its crusade against foreign students enrolling in US universities as a measure to uphold national security, curb anti-semitism and weed out “troublemakers”.

During a media interaction on 29th May, President Trump termed international students as “troublemakers” and proposed a 15 per cent cap on enrolling foreign students at the Harvard University and other higher education institutions in the United States.

“We don’t want to see shopping centres explode. We don’t want to see the kind of riots that you had, and I’ll tell you what, many of those students didn’t go anywhere, many of those students were troublemakers caused by the radical left,” Trump said.

 “Harvard has to show us their lists. They have foreign students – almost 31 per cent of their students. We want to know where those students come from, whether they are troublemakers, and what countries they come from….These countries aren’t helping us. They’re not investing in Harvard … we are. So why would 31 per cent – why would a number so big…I think they should have a cap of maybe around 15 per cent, not 31 per cent,” he added.

The US President further asserted that foreign students capture most of the student body and block the way for local American students to have better education.

“We have people [who] want to go to Harvard and other schools, [but] they can’t get in because we have foreign students there. But I want to make sure that the foreign students are people who can love our country,” Trump said.

Further escalating his attack on Harvard, the US President called the Ivy league institution as “disaster” and “totally anti-semitic”.

“Harvard has been a disaster. They’ve taken $ 5 billion+… And by the way, they’re totally anti-semitic at Harvard, and some other colleges too. It’s been exposed, very exposed, and I think they’re dealing very badly. Every time they fight, they lose another 250 million dollars… I think this is what everyone’s coming up to me saying, we love the idea of trade schools with that kind of money and money from others, but money from them. You can have the best trade schools anywhere in the world… They can only be used for trade schools, and they’ll teach people how to build AI,” Trump said.

Just days back, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem notified Harvard that its Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification was “revoked effective immediately.” The administration accused the university of “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.”

Harvard’s legal battle against Trump

Amid escalating tensions between academia and the White House, Harvard University filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. The lawsuit, filed in Boston federal court, paints a dire picture: more than 7,000 international students at Harvard now face an uncertain future, with the university warning of “immediate and devastating” consequences.

“With the stroke of a pen,” Harvard declared in its fiery complaint, “the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body — international students who are vital to our mission and our nation’s future.

This marked Harvard’s second lawsuit in just a month against the Trump administration — the first being over alleged federal interference in its curriculum, admissions, and hiring practices.

Earlier, the Trump administration had terminated significant federal funding to Harvard, including $60 million in grants, $450 million in additional funding and $2.2 billion in research grants over the varsity’s alleged failure to curb antisemitism and comply with federal demands. In April this year, Trump also called for the revocation of Harvard’s tax-exempt status and said that it should be “taxed as a political entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting “Sickness?”

Amusingly, during his electoral campaign last year, Donald Trump had softened his stance on foreign students studying in the US varsities and proposed granting an automatic Green Card to foreign students who graduate from US colleges. However, after coming to power, Trump has gone back to old ways and launched a crackdown on foreign students while outrightly declaring them “troublemakers”.

Trump’s second term has witnessed a renewed focus on immigration restrictions resembling policies from his first term. The Trump administration has targeted Harvard and other prestigious institutions, accusing them of fostering “anti-American” ideologies, anti-semitism as well as affiliations with foreign entities like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Foreign students have come under the Trump administration’s radar as the government is prioritising compliance with federal regulations, bolstering national security through stricter vetting, and addressing campus protests, especially those pertaining to pro-Palestine activism.

On 27th May, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered US embassies and consular offices to stop scheduling new visa interviews for student applicants as Donald Trump  administration is considering strict vetting of applicants’ social media profiles.

This directive would mark a broader application of existing vetting procedures to restrict foreign students’ entry to American schools and colleges.

“Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued septel, which we anticipate in the coming days,” the cable states. (“Septel” is State Department shorthand for “separate telegram.”)

While the cable accessed by Politico, does not detail what social media activity will be reviewed, it refers to executive orders focused on counterterrorism and antisemitism, Politico reported.

Previous guidance from administration included social media checks for returning students who had participated in protests related to Gaza. Many State Department officials have complained privately for months that past guidance, for, say, vetting students who may have participated in campus protests, has been vague. Officials remain uncertain whether specific online content, such as displaying a Palestinian flag, would trigger further review.

Thousands of foreign students face uncertain future in the US

In April this year, the Trump administration attempted to revoke student visas, particularly targeting students involved in pro-Palestine protests. The records of over 4700 students were removed from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, placing them in risk of deportation. While the legal challenges compelled the administration to restore legal status of many students, the administration expanded grounds for future terminations by deeming minor offenses or social media activity as problematic.

Meanwhile, on 29th May, Marco Rubio said that US will start aggressively revoking the visas of Chinese students in the country. Among the students likely to be affected are the ones with connections to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or studying in critical fields. This comes as China is said to have established an effective spying network at the top US universities, including the Ivy League universities like Harvard and Stanford, which also receive massive funds from the CCP. A detailed OpIndia report on how China is running a spying network in the US academic institutions can be read here.

Predictably, the Trump administration’s decision to halt visa interviews which will impact aspiring students globally, has sparked outrage and criticism. US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi opposed the Donald Trump administration for freezing student visa interviews amid reports of bringing severe social media vetting, calling it “a reckless decision”.

In a statement, Raja Krishnamoorthi emphasised that international students are vital to America’s economic strength and national security.

“I strongly oppose the Trump Administration’s reckless decision to freeze new student visa interviews and consider sweeping, undefined social media vetting for international students. International students help drive cutting-edge research, fuel our universities, and build the industries of tomorrow. These young people are not only scholars and innovators — they are vital to America’s economic strength and national security. By developing the next generation of technologies and the good-paying jobs that come with them, they help ensure the United States remains a global leader.” Krishnamoorthi said.

Krishnamoorthi said that shutting international students out is a “strategic blunder” and weakens US global competitiveness.

Notably, the halt on student visa interviews is temporary and is reported to have been imposed to the handle the existing backlog of applications. The pause will be in place until existing applications are not perused and the applicant’s background checks, including online activity, is not conducted.

Will Donald Trump’s crusade against foreign students trump the aspirations of Indian students?

There are over 11 lakh foreign students in the US, of which, 3 lakh are Indian students and are among those affected the most with Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown. In the academic year 2023-2024, foreign students contributed $44 billion to the US economy, with Indian students playing a key role due to their significant numbers and enrolment in high-tuition programs like STEM fields. The year-on-year increase in Indian student enrollment in the US was recorded 23.3 per cent in 2023-24, with Indian students alone making up for around 30 per cent of all foreign students that year. These students mostly pursue Math and Computer Science (42.9 percent), engineering. (24.5 percent), followed by the fields of Business and Management, Physical and Life Sciences, and Health Professions saw 11.2 per cent, 5.4 per cent, and 2.7 per cent of Indian students.

Last year, around 1,96,567 Indian students enrolled in graduate level programs, 36,053 at undergraduate level, students in Optional Practical Training or OPT made up 97,556 of the Indian applicants. Meanwhile, the tally of non-degree Indian students stood at 1,426, as per the Open Doors report. As per the SEVIS data, Indian students count saw a sharp decline from 3,48,446 in July 2024 to 2,55,447 in August 2024.

Talking about the academic year 2025, after a bill to terminate Optional Practical Training was introduced in the US Congress, there has been a 28 per cent drop year-on-year. However, many Indian students, especially at elite institutions like, Harvard, have already completed their visa applications, secured loans and also made financial commitments like tuition deposits. With an indefinite halt on new visa interviews, uncertainty around Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) status, Indian students face risk of not being able to enrol on time. This uncertainty and delays in visa processing could compel them to defer admission, look for alternative institutions or even abandon their US study plans altogether.

Besides, the expansion of social media vetting could prove to be a hurdle for Indian applicants as the US authorities may scrutinise content they deem anti-US or antisemitic leading to visa denials. This will particularly affect those who have either indulged in antisemitic on-campus activism or expressed such views on social media.

A broader impact of the hostile narrative against foreign students may also worsen the already existing negative stereotypes and racism that Indian students face in the USA.

The Trump administration’s crusade against foreign students is facing significant backlash from not only international students but also from educators, immigration advocates and political leaders, with many arguing that under the pretext of ensuring national security, the US government is unfairly targeting foreign students who significantly contribute to the US economy. For Indian students, they are caught in the crosshairs of a broader ideological conflict brewing in the US. The Trump administration’s policy shift is exacerbating existing challenges like high tuition costs and complex visa processes while putting up new obstructions to accessing education in the United States.  

‘Bengal me machi cheekh pukaar, nahi chahiye nirmam sarkar’: PM Modi attacks TMC govt for politics of violence, appeasement and corruption

ANI
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‘Bengal me machi cheekh pukaar, nahi chahiye nirmam sarkar’: PM Modi attacks TMC govt for politics of violence, appeasement and corruption

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on Mamata Banerjee government on Thursday and said West Bengal needs freedom from “politics of violence, appeasement, riots and corruption” and that the people are looking towards “BJP’s development model”.

Addressing a rally here, PM Modi took several jibes at the Trinamool Congress government, and said West Bengal is surrounded by many crises simultaneously.

“First is the crisis of violence and anarchy spreading in the society. Second is the unsafety of our mothers and sisters who are being subjected to heinous crimes. The third crisis is of the extreme despair and rampant unemployment spreading among the youth. The fourth crisis is of the continuously declining trust in the system. The fifth crisis is of the selfish politics of the ruling party, that steals the rights of the poor,” he said.

PM Modi said the youth and poor families suffer the worst consequences of corruption. He alleged that the education system of West Bengal is being ruined.

“We saw how corruption ruins everything in the teacher recruitment scam. The TMC government in their tenure destroyed the future and families of thousands of teachers and left their children helpless. The whole education system of West Bengal is being ruined. The absence of teachers has put the futures of lakhs of students at risk. The TMC leaders have committed such a huge sin. The limit is that even today these people are not ready to accept their mistake. Instead, they blame the courts,” he said.

PM Modi attacked the TMC government over violence in Murshidabad and Malda.

“Whatever happened in Murshidabad and Malda was an example of the government’s ruthlessness here… In the name of appeasement, hooliganism was given a free hand. Imagine the horrific situation when the people of a party running the government identify and burn people’s houses, and the police act as mere spectators. I ask the poor people of Bengal, is this how a government runs?… Here, the court has to intervene on every issue. Otherwise, nothing gets resolved. The people of Bengal do not trust the TMC government anymore… ‘Bengal mein machi cheekh pukaar, nahi chahiye nirmam sarkar’,” he added.

PM Modi accused TMC government of hostility towards the tribals, poor, Dalits, backward classes and women.

“The TMC government is stalling the development of the poor tribal communities… TMC doesn’t care about the tribal community’s respect. When the NDA government made a tribal woman a Presidential candidate for the first time, TMC was the first party to oppose that,” he said.

“Why is TMC being hostile towards the poor, Dalits, the backward classes, women, and tribals?… Unfortuantely, the people of West Bengal are not getting the benefits of the Ayushman scheme… The ruthless government didn’t let the people of West Bengal get Ayushman cards… Many poor people are not able to get permanent houses because of the TMC government, because their leaders are demanding cut and commission from the poor,” he added.

PM Modi accused the TMC of being interested only in playing politics.

“The West Bengal government was absent from the NITI Aayog Governing Council’s meeting in Delhi. TMC only wants to play politics 24 hours. They do not prioritise West Bengal’s development or the country’s progress. The Central Government policies that have been implemented here in West Bengal are not being fulfilled… The TMC government has stalled 16 major infrastructure projects in West Bengal,” he said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone of City Gas Distribution project in Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts in Alipurduar at West Bengal. 

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Supreme Court says relationship turning sour cannot be a ground for filing rape case, cautions against misuse of the law

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court says relationship turning sour cannot be a ground for filing rape case, cautions against misuse of the law

The Supreme Court quashed criminal proceedings against a 23-year old rape accused saying that a consensual relationship turning sour cannot be a ground for filing a rape case. A bench of justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma said in its judgment dated May 26, 2025 that such cases burden the court and bring disrepute to the person accused.

The Supreme Court cautioned the courts against treating every breach of promise to marry as a false promise and then prosecuting the accused for rape. “A consensual relationship turning sour or partners becoming distant cannot be a ground for invoking criminal machinery of the State. Such conduct not only burdens the Courts, but blots the identity of an individual accused of such a heinous offence. This Court has time and again warned against the misuse of the provisions, and has termed it a folly to treat each breach of promise to marry as a false promise and prosecute a person for an offence under section 376 IPC,” the Court said.

The Apex Court was hearing a plea challenging an order of the Bombay High Court which declined to quash proceedings against the accused under sections 376 (rape), 376(2)(n) (repeated rape on the same woman), 377 (unnatural offences), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

What was the case?

The complainant, a previously married woman with a 4-year old son, accused the appellant , a graduation student, of raping her between June 2022 and July 2023 on the false promise of marriage. The complainant had obtained a Khulanama (agreement for divorce by mutual consent) from her former husband and had been living with her son at her parents house since 2021.

She alleged that in July 2022, the accused entered her house at night and had sexual intercourse with her after promising to marry her once she obtained formal divorce from her husband. The accused allegedly had sexual intercourse with her later on several occasions on the same promise.

Subsequently, when the accused reduced interactions with her, she visited his home and met his parents. She said that his parents denied any possibility of marriage between the two because they belonged to different religions.

After this, she registered an FIR against the accused who filed an application before the Additional Sessions Judge at Karad seeking anticipatory bail which was granted. The man then moved the Bombay Hight Court seeking quashing of proceedings against him but the court denied him relief. The accused then approached the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court order contending that the High Court erred in dismissing his plea. He highlighted the lack of evidence against him and the fact that the FIR was filed after a delay of 13 months.

The Supreme Court quashed the proceedings

The Supreme Court said that even if the allegations in the FIR are considered to be true, there was nothing to prove that the sexual intercourse happened against the will of the complainant and merely on the promise of marriage. “The appellant and the complainant were acquainted since 08.06.2022, and she herself admits that they interacted frequently and fell in love. The complainant engaged in a physical relationship alleging that the appellant had done so without her consent, however she not only sustained her relationship for over 12 months, but continued to visit him in lodges on two separate occasions. The narrative of the complainant does not corroborate with her conduct,” the Court observed. The court noted that there was no evidence coercion or threat of injury to the complainant to attract an offence under section 506 IPC.

The court said that there was probably an underlying motive behind the complainant action as she was probably upset because the accused had reduced interactions with her. Considering the age of the accused, the court quashed the criminal proceedings against him.

With the rise in cases of false rape cases being filed due to failed relationships or the breach of promise of marriage, the Indian courts are now exercising caution in entertaining such cases.

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