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Assam: Female journalist injured, her cloths torn, as unruly Congress workers create a ruckus while welcoming Gaurav Gogoi in Jorhat

OpIndia Staff
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Assam: Female journalist injured, her cloths torn, as unruly Congress workers create a ruckus while welcoming Gaurav Gogoi in Jorhat

A female journalist was injured in Assam’s Jorhat after she was harassed and assaulted by Congress workers on 31 May. The incident took place at Jorhat airport where the Congress workers had gathered to welcome MP Gaurav Gogoi, after his appointment as the president of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee.

As per reports, the Congress party in Jorhat had invited the media to cover the welcoming the newly appointed state president, and accordingly, a media contingent had arrived at the Rowriah Airport in Jorhat. However, when Gaurav Gogoi appeared, a huge ruckus was created by Congress workers who pushed journalises and even police personnel present there.

Gaurav Gogoi was visiting his parliamentary constituency Jorhat after the party made him the state president. Former CM Tarun Gogoi’s son Gaurav Gogoi, also the party’s deputy leader in Lok Sabha, replaced Bhupen Kumar Borah.

As per Priyanka Senapoti, journalst with Assamese news channel ND24, the Congress workers not only misbehaved with her, but also tore her cloths. She posted on Facebook, “Today, I felt ashamed to see the behaviour of some Congress members. Situation is like this today, what will you do when you come to power, it has become clear today. Gaurav Gogoi has become the president of APCC, and Congress members are happy; everyone understands that. But today, after Gaurav Gogoi’s arrival at the Rowriah Airport, the way some Congress members harassed the female journalists is never acceptable. Some Congress members even tore my clothes. I never wish for such an environment. People fell due to pushing by the Congress workers at the airport. If you do not need the news to be reported, then please do not invite journalists from now on. It is understood that we cannot expect more than this from you.”

Senapoti also posted the photograph of her plastered injured hand.

In another Facebook post, the journalist posted a video showing how the Congress workers created a ruckus and pushed everyone away after Gaurav Gogoi came out of the airport.

In the video, later Gaurav Gogoi can be heard apologising for the ruckus created by his supporters. He said that nobody expected that such a large crowd will gather at the airport.

She also clarified that she is not affiliated to any political party, and was only expressing her anger over misbehaviour by the party workers.

Videos from the incident show security personnel struggling to control the rampaging Congress workers. In one of the videos, a female voice can be heard alleging misbehaviour.

Ironically, Assam Congress on its official X account themselves revealed how the party workers had pushed everyone while welcoming their new leader. They posted photographs from the outside of the Airport, which show how supporters are pushing everyone forward behind Gogoi.

In one of the photos, a female Assam Police personnel standing behind Gaurav Gogoi can be seen with a very uncomfortable expression on her face, as she is being pushed from behind by Congress workers.  

‘Hello, I’m Angel Priya’: Rising cases of leaking sensitive defence information to ‘Facebook Girlfriends’ raise serious questions on duty, desire and betrayal

Anurag
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‘Hello, I’m Angel Priya’: Rising cases of leaking sensitive defence information to ‘Facebook Girlfriends’ raise serious questions on duty, desire and betrayal

In the digital age, espionage no longer requires trench coats, cipher wheels or secret meetings in dim alleys. All it takes is a friend request, a flattering message, and a vulnerable mind. In India, national security hinges on the loyalty of its uniformed and civilian defence personnel.

In such a country, the oldest trick in the spy playbook is honey trapping, and it has been wreaking havoc for decades.

The latest arrest of 27-year-old Ravindra Muralidhar Verma in Maharashtra has revealed yet again how intelligence operatives from across the border exploit romance and desire to lure individuals into betraying their nations.

Verma was civilian defence personnel, who was trapped by Pakistani agents posing as a woman on social media. This is not the first case, and sadly, it will not be the last.

The mole who mapped our Navy – Verma and the cost of desire

Ravindra Muralidhar Verma was not a high-ranking officer in the Indian Navy. He was not a hardened traitor either. Yet, his access and carelessness, or perhaps his calculated betrayal, led to one of the most worrying breaches in recent naval memories.

As an electrical engineer working with Krasni Defence Technology Pvt Ltd, Verma was responsible for servicing sensitive naval assets at places like the Naval Dockyards and Mazagon Dock. He had access to restricted areas because of his job. Reportedly, he memorised and later shared classified data about 14 Indian warships, including their movements and deployments.

Verma’s journey into espionage began with Facebook friend requests from accounts bearing names like “Payal Sharma” and “Ishpreet”. The women, supposedly researching naval projects, drew him in with emotional bonding, flattery, and eventually, money.

One alias, “Priti Jaiswal”, became the central point of contact. Communications soon shifted from Facebook to WhatsApp where Verma allegedly sent sketches, diary entries, and even audio recordings. In one recovered voice note, he reported a day’s ship inspections and mentioned forwarding details to both his handler and someone he called “sir”.

Mumbai ATS confirmed that at least five of the 14 ships Verma listed were indeed operational, and their details classified. The scale of compromise could point to a larger spy network. His devices are under forensic examination. Meanwhile, his family claimed he was emotionally manipulated.

However, money trails linked to multiple accounts and archived chats suggest he was aware of what he was doing.

The line between seduction and sedition dangerously faded away in Verma’s and many other individuals’ cases where they were honeytrapped to leak sensitive information.

How ‘Neha Sharma’ trapped a missile scientist

Verma is not alone. There are many others who got honey trapped. While Verma’s case is alarming, it is far from isolated.

In 2018, a young and promising engineer, Nishant Aggarwal, was working at BrahMos Aerospace, India’s premier supersonic missile facility. He was arrested for espionage after falling into a honeytrap.

His online interactions with Pakistan-based handlers using fake Facebook profiles such as “Pooja Ranjan” and “Neha Sharma” led to the unauthorised sharing of sensitive missile data. The Pakistani operatives posed as Indian women and allegedly lured Aggarwal into sustaining communication over two years.

Aggarwal was picked up in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh ATS and military intelligence. IP addresses linked to the fake accounts traced back to Islamabad, confirming the cross-border nature of the trap.

Police also recovered “extremely sensitive documents” from his possession, including material related to the BrahMos missile, one of India’s most strategically significant weapons that also played a crucial role in the recent Operation Sindoor against terrorists and Pakistani armed forces.

After years of investigation and trial, he was finally sentenced in June 2024 by a Nagpur court. He received life imprisonment under the Official Secrets Act and 14 years of rigorous imprisonment under the IT Act.

Like Verma, his case highlighted how emotional vulnerabilities can become dangerous access points into India’s most guarded defence secrets.

A DRDO lab head and ‘Zara from the UK’ – When lust overrode loyalty

Another notable case was that of Pradeep Kurulkar, who was once a respected director at a DRDO lab in Pune. However, he was arrested in 2023 for compromising national defence by falling for a fabricated digital persona.

The woman who contacted him called herself “Zara Dasgupta”. She claimed to be a UK-based software engineer. In reality, she was a Pakistani intelligence operative who lured Kurulkar through suggestive chats, obscene videos, and late-night voice calls made through WhatsApp and other encrypted platforms.

According to the chargesheet filed by Maharashtra ATS, their exchanges spanned at least six months from June to December 2022. During that time, he reportedly shared details about critical Indian defence systems, including drone technologies, the BrahMos launcher, the Agni missile system, and military bridging platforms. The IP address behind “Zara’s” profile was eventually traced to Pakistan, but by then, much had been compromised.

He allegedly stored sensitive DRDO files on his personal phone and shared not just technical details but even his personal and official schedules. Just before DRDO caught on and launched an internal probe, he abruptly blocked Zara’s number. However, the deception persisted. He soon received a message from another number asking, “Why you blocked my number?” By May 2023, he was arrested under the Official Secrets Act.

When will they learn? The tragic simplicity of a digital seduction

By now, it should be common sense. You do not touch live wires. You do not accept food from strangers on a train. And you certainly do not send photographs of naval ship placements, missile launcher specifications, or internal DRDO schedules to someone named Angel Priya with a Korean display picture and a profile that claims she is researching naval engineering from Birmingham.

And yet, here we are. Again.

Every few months, one more defence insider, an engineer, a contractor, a scientist, or even a YouTuber, gets emotionally entangled and intellectually paralysed by what is clearly a digital honeytrap. Just as the government runs ads on not falling prey to digital arrest scams, it seems the government now needs to run another campaign asking people not to fall for “Angel Priya” and share sensitive information that can affect national security.

Despite decades of awareness about Pakistan’s espionage operations and their use of social media for intelligence gathering, some people still fall for Angel Priyas and disclose India’s most sensitive military information. Either they do not use their common sense or they believe they cannot be honeytrapped. These individuals need to come out of the teenage romance novel they believe they live in and act responsibly.

It is not just about Pakistan’s tactics. The bigger question is how these people clear security screenings, possess technical training, and work on missile systems, yet still fall for a few flirty texts and pixelated video calls. Is it loneliness? Is it some misplaced masculinity that makes them feel important when someone pretends to admire them? Or is it just plain stupidity masked as emotional vulnerability? Imagine getting a life sentence for sending sensitive information to a fake profile named “Angel Priya” on Facebook.

In any case, it is becoming clear that we need more than background checks and Non-Disclosure Agreements. India needs a full-scale, no-nonsense awareness campaign, something between a railway safety jingle and a digital hygiene crash course.

Bold posters and compulsory training sessions that say, “Do not send classified files to women you just met on the internet”, “If she calls you ‘sir ji’ after two texts, it is probably a spy”, or “No one falls in love with your ship maintenance job in under three minutes unless they want warship secrets, not you.”

This is not espionage of a high calibre. This is embarrassment. National security compromised not by sophisticated hacking, but by conversations that begin with “Hi handsome” and end with classified information being passed to our enemies.

It is time we stop treating this as isolated betrayal and start accepting it as a pattern. A preventable, ridiculous, and yet increasingly dangerous pattern.

Angel Priya

Angel Priya mentioned in this article refers to a famous Twitter account which was actually run by a man. Later several Angel Priya accounts appeared on Facebook. Earlier this year, comedian Zakir Khan claimed that he was behind the original fake account. With time, ‘Angel Priya’ has become the generic term for fake social media accounts of women run by men. Such accounts use either images of other real women, or computer generated images, as display picture for the social media accounts.

Pakistan link to 22-year-old girl’s arrest? Hindu organisation claims foundation, which filed FIR against the victim, has an office in Karachi

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan link to 22-year-old girl’s arrest? Hindu organisation claims foundation, which filed FIR against the victim, has an office in Karachi

A Hindu organisation named Shri Ram Swabhiman Parishad has extended support to the 22-year-old influencer Sharmishta Panoli, who was arrested on 30th May by Kolkata police from Gurgaon over her remarks criticising the Pahalgam terror attack and Pakistan.

Speaking to IANS, the Secretary of the Parishad, Suraj Kumar Singh, said that the organisation that lodged FIR against Sharmishta, which led to her arrest, has its office in Karachi city of Pakistan.

Singh claimed that some members of the organisation, named Sky Foundation, filed an FIR against her in Kolkata and demanded her arrest. The members of the foundation also threatened to take law in their own hands and kill her if police did not take action against her. Consequently, the Kolkata Police travelled all the way to Gurgaon and arrested her.

Singh showed a video on his phone claiming that Sky Foundation members raised slogans and cheered in the court premises where Sharmishta was produced after her arrest.

Singh said that the Parishad will provide her all possible support and that if anything wrong happened to her, the Mamata government would be responsible. ” She is our Hindu sister and if any harm is caused to her then Mamata Banerjee’s police will be responsible for it,” Singh said.

Lashing out at the West Bengal government, Singh said the state has become a safe house for people involved in Hindu bashing as the state police takes no action against such people. He said that the incident of violence against Hindus, like in Murshidabad, and insults to Hindu Gods goes unchecked.

Singh demanded and investigation against Sky Foundation and said that police should look into how an organisation registered in Pakistan is operating in India.

Kolkata Police arrested influencer Sharmishta

Social media influencer Sharmishta Panoli was arrested by Kolkata Police on Friday over her remarks made in a viral video that she took down and apologised for after facing huge backlash from Islamists. She has been receiving threats of death, beheading and rape for her remarks that

The controversy began on 14th May when a Pakistani Muslim handle attempted to whitewash the massacre of 24 Hindus during the Pahalgam terror attack. Islamic terrorists had confirmed religious identity of the victims before shooting them dead. An enraged Sharmishta mocked the Pakistani Muslim handle for believing that India started a war without any reason and asked if she had heard of Pahalgam and other Pakistan-sponsored terror attacks. She asked if Indian forces should just sit and do nothing about these terror attacks. The video was taken out of context by Pakistani and Indian Muslims alike to allege insult to Islam and Prophet Muhammad.

UP: Cricket match dispute takes a drastic turn, IRS officer accuses colleague of ‘attempt to murder’. Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Cricket match dispute takes a drastic turn, IRS officer accuses colleague of ‘attempt to murder’. Here is what we know so far

A minor scuffle during a cricket match led to two Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers led to the registration of an FIR. A deputy commissioner-level IRS officer accused a joint commissioner of physically attacking him over a three-month-old dispute relating to a cricket match.

As per reports, the complainant deputy commissioner Gaurav Garg, posted at the income tax office in Hazratganj, alleged that joint commissioner Yogendra Kumar Mishra, currently posted in Kashipur, Uttarakhand, stormed into his office on Thursday (29th May) and physically attacked him in a premeditated manner in front of senior officers.

DCP (central) Ashish Srivastava said that an FIR was lodged in connection with the incident on Friday (30th May) at Hazratganj police station at Lucknow under sections 109(1) (attempt to murder), 121(2) (causing hurt to public servant), 221 (obstruction of duty), 324(3) (mischief), 352 (intentional insult) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the BNS, along with relevant sections of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.

Garg said that Mishra attacked him because of an old dispute over a cricket match dating back to 13th Feb. Mishra, who was posted in Lucknow at that time, was allegedly upset over not being made the captain of a departmental cricket team during a tournament.

He threatened to disrupt the match by squatting on the pitch. Garg alleged that even after the cricket match, Mishra kept harassing the team members by sending them messages on WhatsApp.

The FIR reportedly states that Mishra allegedly used abusive language, accused officials of plotting against him, and demanded the cancellation of his transfer orders. He allegedly threw water on Garg using a glass tumbler and tried to attack him with broken glass. “I was gasping for breath and barely managed to free myself. He then punched me repeatedly, injuring my nose, lips ear and a front tooth. He even kicked me before others intervened,” Garg alleged in the FIR.

Mishra denies allegation against him, alleges corruption

Joint Commissioner Yogendra Mishra, made a series of posts on X on Friday alleging that Garg tried to malign his reputation by circulating a doctored video of the cricket match incident which was amicably solved.

He denied the allegations levelled by Garg in the FIR and said, “I did not retaliate…the entire incident is captured on CCTV cam and witnessed by multiple senior officers. Yet, a false counter-narrative is being spread online to portray me as the aggressor. I urge authorities to conduct a fair, evidence-based inquiry before entertaining any malicious or frivolous FIR against me.”

Mishra, who succeeded Garg, claimed that he was being targeted for exposing irregularities in tax investigations carried out during Garg’s tenure.

“Since 2022, after I succeeded Gaurav Garg, IRS, in Kanpur, I reported serious lapses in tax investigations during his tenure. This led to his animosity and a sustained vendetta against me. On February 13, 2025, minor dispute at a departmental cricket match was amicably resolved with apologies from all sides. Yet, months later, a distorted video of this settled incident was leaked by Gaurav Garg to malign my reputation. On March 29, this old video was circulated on Twitter by a journalist, who then attempted to blackmail me for ₹50,000. Evidence of this blackmail, including chat logs, has been submitted to authorities,” Mishra wrote.

No cross complaint hasyet been received by the police from Mishra.

Bangladesh: As Md Yunus sets June 2026 deadline for elections, demand for polls by December 2025 grows, BNP says there will be no election if it is not held by December

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: As Md Yunus sets June 2026 deadline for elections, demand for polls by December 2025 grows, BNP says there will be no election if it is not held by December

As the Muhammad Yunus-led caretaker government Bangladesh continues to delay holding elections, demands for early elections have grown in the country. Days after Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman asked the government to hold elections by December 2025 and not make any major policy decisions, major political party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has intensified its demand to hold elections by this year.

Notably, Muhammad Yunus has refused to hold elections by December 2025. He has said that the elections could be hold between December 2025 to June 2026, effectively saying he will remain in power for another year. The interim government wants to make major legal and constitutional changes in the country, while the political parties say that only an elected government should bring such changes.

BNP Vice President Advocate Zainul Abedin on Saturday urged the government to hold elections by December and step down from power. He said that caretaker governments came to power earlier also, but they didn’t take so long to hole elections. Abedin also said that major reforms are not possible before the elections, and therefore elections should be held first.

He said, “It doesn’t take 10 months to reform and hold elections. Yet, you’ve already taken ten months. Our leader has said elections must be held by December. We don’t believe major reforms are necessary within this timeframe. If you hold elections by December, you can step down with dignity. We will all cooperate.”

Another BNP leader Mirza Abbas said that if elections are not held by December this year, they may never be held. “Don’t try to delay the election with excuses. We know very well that if the election doesn’t take place in December, there will never be another election in this country. Bangladesh will be subjugated to foreign masters,” he said on 30 May.

Mirza Abbas also said that only one person is against holding elections by December – Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus. He said that if the polls are pushed back to June next year, there will be no election at all. The BNP leader also slammed Yunus for calling politicians ‘inpatient’ for demanding early elections.

These comments by BNP leaders come after BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman made the demand on Wednesday. He had said, “We call on the interim government: national elections must be held by this December. Once again, I emphasize, elections must take place within this timeframe.” He also asked party members and citizens to begin preparations to ensure that national elections are held by December.

Tarique Rahman alleged that certain sections in the government are conspiring to delay the elections. He said that the talks of ‘reforms before elections’ are just tactics to delay the polls. He reiterated the demand on Thursday, saying that not announcing a date for election has created political uncertainty in the country.

The BNP chief said that while the interim govt was formed legally under a special situation, it is not accountable to the people under any circumstances. Stressing the need for an elected government, he said, “The state as well as the government can be made accountable to the people only by establishing an accountable government.”

Rahman also posted a long message on X, calling for elections by December. He said that for any interim government, neutrality and credibility are its greatest assets, and these must not be squandered. Tarique Rahman added that if anyone currently in power wishes to remain in governance, they must resign and contest elections.

Notably, during his recent Japan visit, Md Yunus had reiterated that elections will be held between December 2025 to June 2026. He also called politicians impatient for demanding earlier elections. He had said, “When elections take place an elected government takes over responsibility and we hand it over to them. People are insisting to tell them when the elections would be because the politicians are very impatient, to get to their seats of power. So I have been promising them for some time. It could be in December this year or at the latest June of 2026, so six months gap, depending on how fast we can do the reforms.”

Indian Army conducts field trials of several next-generation defence technologies under simulated near-combat conditions

OpIndia Staff
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Indian Army conducts field trials of several next-generation defence technologies under simulated near-combat conditions

As the government of India and Indian armed forced have said that Operation Sindoor against terror bases has not stopped, it only has been paused, Indian Army is currently undertaking extensive Capacity Development Demonstrations at key locations across the country. The army is conducting extensive trials of several next-generation technologies under simulated operational conditions.

The trials are being conducted in various places, including the Pokhran Field Firing Ranges, Babina Field Firing Ranges, and Joshimath, with dedicated Air Defence equipment demonstrations also scheduled at Agra and Gopalpur. These field trials are being conducted under near-combat conditions, integrating electronic warfare simulations to assess the performance of cutting-edge defence systems rigorously.

The demonstrations feature a wide array of advanced technologies developed under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, aimed at accelerating indigenous capability development. On 27 May 2025, General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff, visited Babina Field Firing Ranges and reviewed the ongoing demonstrations and interacted with all stakeholders.

A statement issued by the ministry of defence said that the trials mark a significant step in the Indian Army’s roadmap for a “Decade of Transformation” and are designed to ensure rapid absorption of emerging technologies to meet evolving battlefield requirements. A large number of defence industry partners are taking part in the demonstration, reflecting the increasing synergy between the Indian Army and domestic manufacturers.

Some of the major systems being evaluated under simulated near-combat conditions include:

  • Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
  • UAV Launched Precision Guided Munition (ULPGM)
  • Runway Independent (RWI) Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS)
  • Counter-UAS Solutions
  • Loitering Munitions
  • Specialised Vertical Launch (SVL) Drones
  • Precision Multi Munition Delivery Systems
  • Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction System (IDDIS)
  • Low Level Light Weight Radars
  • VSHORADS (Next Generation) IR Systems
  • Electronic Warfare (EW) Platforms

Through these evaluations, the Indian Army aims to strengthen its technological edge, enhance operational readiness, and reaffirm its commitment to indigenous innovation and self-reliance in defence capability development.

Kolkata Police arrests a law student from Delhi over a deleted video: How criticising Pakistan and “hurting sentiments” is a crime for Bengal govt but violence against Hindus isn’t

Amit Kelkar
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Kolkata Police arrests a law student from Delhi over a deleted video: How criticising Pakistan and “hurting sentiments” is a crime for Bengal govt but violence against Hindus isn’t

Following the incessant online hounding and ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ threats by Islamists against Hindu social media influencer Sharmishtha, the Kolkata police, instead of protecting her freedom of expression, chose to side with the Islamists and arrested her Friday (30th May). The Kolkata Police travelled all the way from West Bengal to Gurgaon, covering a distance of 1500 km just to arrest Sharmistha, a 22-year-old law student, who merely voiced out her opinion against the terrorist state of Pakistan. The fact that Sharmishtha tendered an apology and deleted the viral video, did not deter the Kolkata police from arresting her.

Mamata government and her commitment to her core vote bank

The incident goes on to show Mamata Banerjee’s unwavering commitment to her core voter community which goes beyond logic, fairness, reasonability and even international boundaries. The “Royal Bengal Tiger”, as Mamamta Banerjee describes herself, unleashed the mighty state machinery against a young woman who, in a patriotic zeal, made a video in response to a Pakistani troll who denied the persecution of Hindus and the brutal massacre of Hindus in Pahalgam.

Sharmishtha’s only crime was that she defended India’s relaliatory action against Pakistan whose support for Jihadist terrorists who kill non-Muslim ‘Kafirs’ is an open-secret. Even though her video was filled with expletives and had a charged tone, it was targeted at Pakistani trolls who had been running fake narratives on social media trying to deny the religious motive behind the Pahalgam terror attack. An emotionally triggered Sharmishtha mocked the Pakistani troll and criticised the Islamic idea of 72 hoors and their prophet which triggered the Islamist mobs to whom the concept of criticism and is as alien as the concept of a round Earth. Sharmishtha’s reaction to the Pakistani troll was completely natural and in sync with the collective emotional state of the entire country after the heinous Pahalgam terror attack. But, apparently Sharmishtha’s respose to a Pakistani troll amounts to a criminal act in India can only be explained by looking at the lawbook of the West Bengal government.

Hindu lives do not matter in Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal

The action of the Kolkata police, however, is no surprise considering that the Mamata government is habitual of bending over backwards to appease Islamists. The present case is just another example of the blatant hyprocrisy of the Mamata government which turns a blind eye to the plight of Hindus persecuted by Islamist mobs in its own state.

The entire country witnessed how Mamata government in West Bengal failed to protect Hindus from Islamist mobs in Murshidabad and Sandeshkhali and allowed their persecution by Islamist mobs right under its nose. The Muslim-dominated Murshidabad district witnessed large-scale incidents of violence, vandalism, arson and targeted attacks against the Hindu community on 11th April in the garb of protests against the new Waqf Amendment Act. Hindu families lost their homes and livelihoods. Their water tanks have been poisoned and they were subjected to both rape and death threats. In the aftermath of the violence, several Hindu women narrated the harrowing details of the brutal violence. The Hindu women were asked to trade their honour for the lives of their husbands and children. The Islamists asked them to get raped to save their families. They asked the Hindu women to erase their sindoor and convert to Islam.

Similar incidents of persecution of Hindus came to light last year in Sandeshkhali. In February 2024, several areas in Sandeshkhali of North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal witnessed massive protests mainly by women. These women demanded the arrest of TMC leader and Mamata Banerjee’s close aide Sheikh Shahjahan and two other TMC workers, Shiba Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar, believed to be close to Shahjahan.

Hundreds of women residents of Sandeshkhali came out on the streets with brooms, sticks and farming tools and blocked the roads. These women alleged that married Hindu women from the area are picked up, based on how young and pretty they are, and are violated night after night till the TMC men are “satisfied”. The husbands of these women were also threatened and told that they have no “right” over their wives. If they attempted to stop the exploitation of the women, they were mercilessly beaten.

Notably, the alacrity displayed by the West Bengal police in arresting Sharmishtha was enitrely missing when the Hindus of the state were being subjected to brutal violence and humiliation at the hands of Islamist mobs. Instead of acting against the Muslim perpetrators, Mamata Banerjee, a woman herself, downplayed the sexual exploitation of Hindu women and termed the rape cases as ‘minor incident’. Seeing the inaction of the West Bengal government, the Calcutta High Court directed a CBI investigation into the matter which the state government vehemently opposed.

The Hindus of West Bengal have been consistently experiencing unchecked violence and persecution by Islamists under the watch of the Mamata government, which displayed great zeal in sending its police force miles away to arrest a young woman exercising her constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression well within the bounds of law but turned a blind eye to the violence taking place against Hindus in its own backyard. The Mamata government is setting new standards of appeasement in the state, the cost of which is being paid by the Hindus living in the West Bengal and even beyond.

Blasphemy by proxy: Mamata’s Bengal criminalises dissent, shields Islamist violence

The duplicity is glaring. A young woman can be jailed for a social media video that was promptly deleted after online backlash. Meanwhile, men accused of rape, rioting, and land grab in Sandeshkhali roam free. This is not governance. This is not secularism. This is selective law enforcement driven by vote-bank politics.

Worse, many who threatened Sharmishta with rape and death on social media have not faced a single police knock on their doors. In a true democracy, issuing death threats would prompt immediate legal action—regardless of the faith of the perpetrator. But in Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal, it seems that if you belong to a certain community and scream the loudest, the law will not just ignore you—it will act against your victim instead.

What we are witnessing is the institutionalization of blasphemy laws by proxy, where criticism of Pakistan or Islam, even when not targeting Indian Muslims directly, is met with penal consequences, but attacks on Hindus, Hindu beliefs, or Hindu lives are treated as administrative inconveniences to be brushed under the carpet.

This pattern of governance is not just a threat to Bengal—it is a threat to the very idea of India. The Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, equality before the law, and protection from persecution. But under this regime, those rights are extended only selectively—filtered through the lens of political utility and religious appeasement.

Mamata Banerjee and her administration must answer a fundamental question: Do they serve the Constitution of India or a parallel Islamist consensus that dictates what can and cannot be said or done? Because right now, the answer seems painfully clear.

Until this blatant hypocrisy is called out—and punished at the ballot box—young voices like Sharmishta’s will be stifled, victims of Islamist violence will remain unheard, and Bengal will continue its tragic descent from a land of intellect and revolution to one of fear and communal opportunism.

It is time for the nation to wake up.

Congress leader Salman Khurshid debunks Trump’s claim, praises Indian restraint, but back home, Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera still stuck on the wrong questions

Anurag
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Congress leader Salman Khurshid debunks Trump’s claim, praises Indian restraint, but back home, Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera still stuck on the wrong questions

On 31st May, Congress veteran and former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told the Indian community in Jakarta exactly what had happened, Pakistan called India asking for ceasefire. Simple, clear and settled. Yet, back home, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera continue to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi why the ceasefire happened and whether Donald Trump played a role. There is a contradiction within Congress which is not just glaring but embarrassing.

What Salman Khurshid said in Jakarta

Khurshid is part of one of the Modi government’s all-party international delegations formed after Operation Sindoor. In his address, he plainly stated that India did not initiate any talks with Pakistan. Instead, it was Pakistan’s DGMO who reached out, unable to withstand further military pressure.

He said, “There is no truth to claims that we called Pakistan. That is complete hogwash.” He dismissed the narratives that suggest India blinked first. Khurshid elaborated that Pakistan was unable to cope with India’s onslaught during Operation Sindoor and reached out for a halt. India, in a show of maturity and power, chose to stop further attacks.

Khurshid also drew attention to the fact that Pakistan continued to violate ceasefire for hours even after the call from Pakistan to halt the escalating situation. He underlined how little control the civilian government in Islamabad has over its own military. He observed, “No one is in control in Pakistan. There are factions in the army vying for power. Despite that, India showed patience and restraint.”

Khurshid’s message was clear. The members of the delegation, irrespective of the political lines, are speaking as one. They are speaking on behalf of their country against the enemy nation. Khurshid said, “India is waiting to be great and no one will distract us.”

But what is Congress doing back home?

Khurshid’s clarity, however, appears lost on his colleagues back in India. Congress’s communication chief Jairam Ramesh has posted eleven times in 21 days on social media, demanding that PM Modi clarify whether Trump’s repeated claims of brokering the ceasefire are true.

He frames the issue as one of national embarrassment, accusing PM Modi of silence, allowing Trump to “equate” India with Pakistan, and wondering if Trump is lying or telling half-truths. Another Congress leader, Pawan Khera, has joined the chorus and expressed concerns over PM Modi’s silence. He asked whether PM Modi’s failure to reject Trump’s comments means they might be true.

Khera asked, “This is the eighth time Trump has claimed he stopped Operation Sindoor. Why is Modi silent?”, a week ago. Perhaps, the real question is, why are Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera silent on Salman Khurshid’s very public, on-record clarification?

Does the Congress not believe its own leaders?

Khurshid, while speaking in Indonesia as a representative of India, left no room for doubt. Pakistan reached out, India accepted, this is what he has clarified. He called alternative versions “nonsense”. He categorically made it clear that India’s response was strong, decisive, and respected internationally. He, despite being an opposition leader, praised the government’s formation of an all-party team as a symbol of national unity, which some of his party leaders and other opposition leaders are not able to digest.

If the Congress party sees this as India’s stand, why are senior Congress leaders undermining it at home?

The question that should be asked is if Ramesh and Khera trust Khurshid or not. Or are they so eager to oppose PM Modi that they are willing to contradict their own party’s foreign outreach, their own former External Affairs Minister, and a sitting member of the delegation tasked with explaining Operation Sindoor to the world.

This cannot be a minor miscommunication. This is not a footnote. This is the official position of the Congress campaign at home, which is entirely different from what a Congress leader has said abroad.

A moment of truth

Operation Sindoor was India’s moment of assertion against state-sponsored terror. India reacted strongly to the Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed lives of 26 innocent Hindus. The world took note of the military action India took. Pakistan, being Pakistan, tried to set a narrative against India, claiming Pahalgam was a false flag operation. Reacting to the propaganda, India created seven all-party delegations and dispatched them to carry India’s message. Khurshid, Shashi Tharoor, Asaduddin Owaisi and many other opposition leaders are part of these delegations going from country to country with their fellow MPs from the ruling party, BJP.

While Khurshid played his part and remained above politics, back home, his party colleagues continue to shoot rhetorical arrows in the dark. They are chasing ghosts of Trump’s imagination and attributing foreign influence on India’s sovereign military action.

The Congress has to answer. Which Congress should the people of India believe? The one that stood with the Indian flag in Jakarta, or the one that cannot stop questioning the Government in Delhi?

India deserves clarity. The world is watching. And in this case, Salman Khurshid already said what needed to be said. Everything else, as he rightly called it, is nonsense.

Pakistan violated Indus Water Treaty through cross border terrorism: Says India at International Glaciers’ meet after Pak PM Sharif accused India of weaponising water

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan violated Indus Water Treaty through cross border terrorism: Says India at International Glaciers’ meet after Pak PM Sharif accused India of weaponising water

India has said that Pakistan should stop blaming India for halting the Indus Water Treaty, adding that Pakistan itself is responsible for the same. At the first High-Level International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation in Tajikistan’s Dushanbe, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said that Pakistan was violating the treaty through terrorism. Singh said that non-stop cross border terrorism from Pakistan is interfering with the treaty’s implementation.

Addressing the plenary session of the UN conference on glaciers in Tajikistan’s Dushanbe on Friday, Kirti Vardhan Singh said, “We are appalled at the attempt by Pakistan to misuse the forum and to bring in unwarranted references to issues which do not fall within the purview of the forum. We strongly condemned such an attempt.”

The minister said that it is an undeniable fact that there have been fundamental changes in circumstances since the Indus Waters Treaty was signed. Therefore, a reassessment of the treaty’s obligations has become necessary. The changes include technological advancements, demographic changes, climate change and the ongoing threat of cross-border terrorism.

Kirti Vardhan Singh told the gathering that the Indus Water treaty’s preamble states it was concluded in the spirit of goodwill and friendship, and that honouring the treaty in good faith is essential. But, cross border terrorism from Pakistan interferes with implementation of the treaty.

“Pakistan, which itself is in violation of the treaty, should desist from putting the blame of the breach of the treaty on India,” he said.

At the event, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said his country would not allow India to cross the red line by holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, accusing India of endangering millions of lives. “India’s unilateral and illegal decision to hold in abeyance the Indus Water Treaty, which governs the sharing of the Indus Basin’s water, is deeply regrettable,” Sharif said.

Alleging that India has weaponised water, the Pakistan PM said, “The world today bears fresh scars from the use of conventional weapons in Gaza that have left deep wounds. As if that were not enough, we are now witnessing an alarming new low — the weaponisation of water.” He also said, “Millions of lives must not be held hostage to narrow political gains, and Pakistan will not allow this. We will never allow the red line to be crossed.”

PM Modi unveils ₹300 coin honouring Ahilyabai Holkar, salutes India’s women warriors for heroism in Operation Sindoor

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi unveils ₹300 coin honouring Ahilyabai Holkar, salutes India’s women warriors for heroism in Operation Sindoor

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, to attend the Lokmata Devi Ahilyabai Women Empowerment Conclave held at Jamboree Ground. Addressing a massive public gathering, PM Modi paid heartfelt tribute to Lokmata Devi Ahilyabai Holkar, praising her legacy as a beacon of courage, culture, and compassion.

“Just hearing the name ‘Ahilyabai’ evokes deep reverence,” he said. “Centuries ago, when India was shackled by foreign rule, she not only uplifted her own kingdom but also safeguarded the soul of Bharat — its culture and heritage.”

Modi recalled how Ahilyabai had rebuilt numerous temples across the country, including the iconic Kashi Vishwanath Temple. “It is my privilege to serve in Kashi, where Lokmata once led monumental works of devotion and development,” he said, pointing out that her statue now stands tall at the Kashi temple complex.

To honor her memory, the Prime Minister unveiled a commemorative postage stamp and a special ₹300 coin featuring her portrait. He also felicitated female artists who have contributed to tribal, folk, and traditional Indian arts with the National Devi Ahilyabai Award.

Operation Sindoor: India’s grit and glory

A major highlight of his speech was the praise for Operation Sindoor, which he described as the most successful counter-terror operation in India’s history. “When terrorists tried to tear apart our society in Pahalgam, our brave forces turned their hideouts into dust,” he declared. “Now, every Indian says — if you fire bullets, you’ll be answered with shells.”

Modi symbolically linked Sindoor — traditionally a sacred mark of strength and devotion in Indian culture — with the operation, calling it a new emblem of India’s courage and feminine power. “Hanuman applies it. We use it in worship. And today, it signifies India’s indomitable spirit.”

The PM especially lauded the fearless contribution of women in uniform. “Even under intense shelling by Pakistan, our brave BSF women stood their ground,” he said. “From classrooms to battlegrounds, India trusts its daughters like never before.”

Whether it’s tackling Maoists or confronting cross-border terror, Modi said, women are now India’s frontline defenders.

Empowering women, the Modi way

A large portion of his speech focused on women’s empowerment. He revealed that the government has pledged to transform 3 crore rural women into Lakhpati Didis — self-made millionaires — and over 1.5 crore have already reached that milestone.

“Our village women, working as ‘Bank Sakhis’ and ‘Insurance Sakhis,’ are bringing financial services to the last mile,” he said. “Earlier, women were kept away from technology. But that’s changing now.”

He highlighted women’s strides in science, medicine, engineering, and aviation — noting that over 100 women scientists and engineers were part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. He also cited the Namo Drone Didi initiative as a game-changer that’s empowering rural women with tech-based livelihoods.

Ahilyabai’s vision, today’s governance

PM Modi emphasized that his government is walking in the footsteps of Ahilyabai Holkar. “Her governance model prioritized the poor and marginalized. She built irrigation canals and supported cottage industries — the very things we are promoting today.”

Quoting the mantra “Nagrik Devo Bhava” (citizens are divine), he said, “In every scheme of ours, women are not just beneficiaries, they are at the core.”

He noted that millions of women have been given home ownership for the first time, and they now play key roles in startups and even India’s space missions.

A celebration led by women, for women

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav echoed the PM’s sentiments, saying the visit was a tribute to Ahilyabai’s ideals, with the government working relentlessly to fulfill her vision of empowered womanhood.

In a symbolic twist, the entire event was organized by women. A female pilot flew PM Modi’s aircraft from Datia to Bhopal. The first trip of the Indore Metro featured only women passengers. From security to stage management, women took charge of every aspect of the event — showcasing true empowerment in action.

Thousands of women, dressed in vibrant sindoori (vermillion-colored) sarees, lined the streets of Bhopal to welcome the PM in a grand roadshow. The tricolor fluttered across the city, while posters celebrating Operation Sindoor adorned the landscape.

As the roadshow culminated at Jamboree Ground, it became clear this was no ordinary political event. It was a resounding celebration of India’s strength — embodied by its women, inspired by Ahilyabai, and led from the front by a government committed to transformation.

PM Modi’s Bhopal visit was more than a rally — it was a statement. A powerful fusion of heritage, valor, and the unstoppable rise of Nari Shakti (woman power) in New India.

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