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Congress and media ecosystem mislead about drop in ‘net FDI’ to paint doomsday picture of Indian economy under Modi govt: Here is the reality

Dibakar Dutta
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Congress and media ecosystem mislead about drop in ‘net FDI’ to paint doomsday picture of Indian economy under Modi govt: Here is the reality

On Friday (23rd May), Congress party and the media ecosystem in India were up-in-arms about a ‘drastic’ drop in net Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India.

In a tweet, the Kerala unit of Congress claimed, “A grim picture both of reducing foreign investor confidence in India and reducing Indian investors on India as well. Everyone gave up on us. 11 years of divisive politics and stupid policy making.”

Screengrab of the tweet by Congress Kerala handle

Seema Chisti, who works for the leftist propaganda outlet ‘The Wire’ alleged, “Indiaโ€™s Net Foreign Direct Investment or FDI Plummets by 96.5% to Reach Record Low.”

Jawhar Sircar, the former TMC MP known for peddling fake news, also made doomsday claims about the India’s economy.

“Foreign investors donโ€™t fall for propaganda like Sanghis, Bhakts and Godi Media. They study the economic and political health of a country, before investing. Their lack of faith in Modiโ€™s India is clear from the red line โ€” how Net FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) has crashed”, he brazened out.

The story about 96% drop in net FDI was covered extensively in the mainstream media with little to no explanation for common readers about its implications. Some media reports insinuated that India’s economy was spiralling downwards with little to no hopes of progress under the incumbent Modi government.

Screengrab of the news reports about fall in ‘net FDI’

Foreign Direct Investment in India

According to Investopedia, Foreign Direct Investment (or FDI) is the “substantial, long-term investment made by a company or government into a foreign project or firm.” In the Indian context, it refers to foreign investment made in Indian companies.

Since the Financial Year 2014 – 2015, India has witnessed a steady growth in FDI inflow in India. The following chart prepared by OpIndia after collecting data from RBI and PIB reports.

It shows that FDI inflow in Financial Year 2014-2015 was $45.15 billion, which has since grown to $81 billion in Financial Year 2024-2025.

When compared year-on-year basis, India has witnessed a whopping 23.05% increase in Financial Year 2015 and 2016. In Financial Year 2024-2025, the growth in FDI inflow was 13.60%.

Financial Year
Gross FDI inflow (in USD)
% change as compared to previous year
2014 – 2015$45.15 billion–
2015 – 2016$55.56 billion23.05%
2016 – 2017$60.22 billion8.38%
2017 – 2018$60.97 billion1.24%
2018 – 2019$62 billion1.68%
2019 – 2020$74.39 billion19.98%
2020 – 2021$81.97 billion10.18%
2021 – 2022$83.57 billion1.95%
2022 – 2023$71.4 billion-14.56%
2023 – 2024$71.3 billion-0.14%
2024 – 2025$81 billion13.60%

(Source: Data published by Press Information Bureau and the Reserve Bank of India – here, here and here)

The only abberation was observed in the Financial Years 2022- 2023 and 2023 – 2024. Although the gross FDI inflow was significant, the net increase was negative.

The fact that Foreign Direct Investment in India is substantial and is increasing year-on-year shows that the Indian economy is in good hands.

“In a phased manner, almost all sectors have been opened up to 100% foreign direct investment (FDI). Almost 90% of the FDI is now under the automatic route…In the recent years, we have introduced a series of liberalisation measures
to further open up the economy, particularly in key sectors such as Defence, Insurance, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Telecom, and Space,” says RBI.

The controversy surrounding ‘Net FDI’

Net Foreign Direct Investment is the difference between Gross FDI inflows and the outward direct investments made by Indian companies, disinvestments and repatriation by foreign entities.

The Reserve Bank of India has released its bulletin for the month of May 2025. It has pointed out that the net FDI for the Financial Year 2024 – 2025 stood at $0.4 billion. The net FDI for the previous Financial Year 2023 -2024 stood at $10.1 billion.

Some media publications have pointed out this difference between $0.4 billion and $10.1 billion to suggest 96.5% drop in net FDI (thereby insinuating some form of economic catastrophe).

Screengrab of the May 2025 bulletin released by RBI

As can be seen from the above graph, Gross FDI inflows for Financial Year 2024 – 2025 stood at $81 billion, which is up 13.6% from $71.3 billion in Financial Year 2023 – 2024.

It can be seen that outward FDI and disinvestments have increased during the same time period, which is a healthy sign for both the economic strength of Indian companies (making strategic investments and acquisitions abroad) and providing easy exit opportunities for foreign companies who invested in India.

In its bulletin, RBI explains, “Net FDI inflows, however, moderated during this period due to higher repatriations and outward investment, which is a sign of a mature market where foreign investors can enter and exit smoothly, reflecting positively on the Indian economy.”

Conclusion

The signifcant gross FDI inflow is a sign of investor confidence, which is coupled with the fact that India’s foreign reserves stand at a whopping $686.1 billion (enough to cover more than 11 months of import).

The Congress party, its friendly journalists and the associated media ecosystem conveniently ignored year-on-year-growth of FDI inflows in India and raked up the issue of net FDI in an isolated manner to paint a doomsday image of the Indian economy.

Despite their both subtle and brazen propaganda, the truth remains that Indian economy is stronger than ever. The country is on its way to become the 4th largest economy in the world.

Harvard punished students for protesting against China and apologised to student who assaulted the protestors: US select committee reveals pro-CCP bias of the university

ANI
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Harvard punished students for protesting against China and apologised to student who assaulted the protestors: US select committee reveals pro-CCP bias of the university

Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) revealed documents indicating that Harvard put anti-CCP demonstrators on disciplinary probation while failing to take any measures against the pro-CCP instigator who attacked them, as reported by the Select Committee on Chinese Communist Party (SCCCP).

“This is yet another example of Harvard’s appallingly unequal treatment of protestors based on the speech they support. Harvard is punishing brave students who spoke out against the CCP’s human rights abuses while not only letting the student who assaulted them off scot-free but also handing him an apology. The American higher education system needs to wake up to the Chinese Communist Party’s influence on our nation’s campuses and protect students who speak out against the CCP, not punish them for standing up to bullies,” said Chairman Moolenaar.

“Once again, Harvard has proven to be completely corrupted by adversarial foreign influence. Harvard is kowtowing to Communist China, and as a senior member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, I will continue working to root out foreign control over our college campuses. We cannot allow American institutions of higher education to serve as tools for Communist China to carry out its transnational repression. I look forward to working with Chairman Moolenaar and Chairwoman Foxx to hold Harvard accountable and to end Communist China’s infiltration of American universities,” said Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, SCCCP release quoted.

“I wish I could say I was surprised, but this is par for the course for Harvard. The only consistent part of the university’s disciplinary standards is that they’re always applied selectively to the benefit of favoured groups. Whether it’s pro-Hamas or pro-CCP agitators, administrators apologise to and encourage some students to keep expressing their so-called ‘meaningful discourse’ at the expense of the safety of other students. It’s unacceptable, and I appreciate Chairman Moolenaar shining a light on this major issue,” said Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, as stated by the SCCCP release.

On April 20, 2024, Xie Feng, the Chinese Ambassador, gave a speech at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. During this speech, Cosette Wu, a student at Harvard, shouted slogans to protest the human rights violations perpetrated by the Chinese government, as mentioned in a release from the SCCCP.

Furthermore, Tsering Yangchen, another student at Harvard, was also removed from the event due to her protest. According to the SCCCP, it was revealed that Harvard placed both Wu and Yangchen was on disciplinary probation because of their protest, yet no action was taken against the graduate student who assaulted the protesters. Harvard issued an apology to the graduate student for his involvement in the incident.

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

What is Google AI mode, how it will change search, and what are its implications? Explained

OpIndia Staff
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What is Google AI mode, how it will change search, and what are its implications? Explained

During the 2025 Google I/O conference, the tech giant unveiled AI Mode for Google Search. It is a sweeping transformation set to redefine how users navigate the internet. The new feature is now live and available for all users from 20th May 2025. It centres around Googleโ€™s own AI model, Gemini.

Beyond summaries – What is Google AI Mode?

AI Mode is not to be confused with AI Overview, the summarising feature that was introduced by Google back in May 2025. While AI Overview is clumsy and provides condensed answers using the older PaLM 2 model, AI Mode marks a significant leap forward. Notably, the answers provided by AI Overview are often questionable and their accuracy cannot be trusted.

AI Mode is powered by the more advanced Gemini 2.5 model. It includes the revamped AI Overview, Deep Search, Search Live and Googleโ€™s latest venture into agentic AI via Project Mariner. All these tools collectively offer an integrated, context-aware, conversational interface to the web, and potentially a farewell to the tab-hopping days of traditional search.

Reservations, tickets, and tasks โ€” all in one search

While demonstrating AI Modeโ€™s agentic capabilities, Google showcased scenarios where the AI could secure event tickets and book a dinner reservation within a single query. The feature, although not shown at its full potential, was enough to stun the audience with its ability to execute long-chain instructions with impressive accuracy.

The system draws data from across the web and, if the user allows, it takes information from the userโ€™s own Google suite history, including Docs or Gmail, to provide highly tailored results. This feature will help in streamlining searches into a flowing conversational format that has the capability to recall previous interactions, evolving the process into a more human-like dialogue.

Furthermore, users can interact with the system using voice, text, or even by uploading images and videos, thanks to its multimodal functionality.

Deep Search and data visualisation – Googleโ€™s next frontier

One of the more technically ambitious features announced by Google was Deep Search, which is capable of interpreting layered, multi-instruction queries in a single go. Along with this, Google also introduced dynamic data visualisation tools, which will allow users to analyse complex datasets in real time, right from the search interface.

Google Search no longer remains a simple information retriever. With the new feature, it has become a powerful research assistant which is capable of not only fetching but also understanding and presenting information in a user-friendly format.

The silent killer of web revenue?

Google claims that AI Mode is the future of internet interactions. However, its implications for online publishers are grim. AI Overview has affected the revenue model of a lot of publishers as it pushes for a reduced number of clicks. Now, with AI Mode, content creators will face a more potent threat.

AI Mode effectively eliminates the need to visit individual websites. It packages the information sourced from dozens of potential pages into a neat chat window. Fewer clicks mean less ad revenue and lower affiliate traffic, which is the lifeblood of digital journalism and blogging.

Letโ€™s take an example which Google presented. Google showed a mock scenario of a parent searching for summer camp options. Rather than visiting multiple camp websites, the user simply interacted with AI Mode, which compiled and refined the results within Googleโ€™s interface. Every skipped site is a lost opportunity for publishers.

Another example that can be discussed here is of content creators who publish lists of โ€œtop 10sโ€ or similar formats. They basically review ten products and rate them based on their features. The same will be done by Googleโ€™s AI Mode without pushing the user to visit the website. The information is indeed provided by the reviewers but visitors will be lost because Google provided the information neatly in the chat interface.

The longer users remain in Googleโ€™s ecosystem, the more ads Google can serve. It raises questions about sustainability. If Gemini is trained on data mined from the very websites its interface now bypasses, what happens when those websites can no longer survive?

Imagine, a reader visits two websites to read about a breaking news. He will get pieces of information by reading the reports. However, if the query is given to Googleโ€™s AI Mode, it will fetch information from 10โ€“15 news portals and present them in chronological order. The need to visit the two websites is eliminated right in the search chat.

How to try Google AI Mode

AI Mode began its rollout on 20th May 2025. It is available for free to all users and can be enabled by simply opening a new Google tab and selecting the AI Mode toggle. However, in some regions, it is yet to be rolled out.

Whether itโ€™s the beginning of a smarter search era or a reckoning for the open web, one thing is certain, Google has just rewritten the rules of digital engagement.

Shubman Gill named India’s new Test captain as BCCI announces squad for England series, Rishabh Pant to be the deputy

ANI
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Shubman Gill named India’s new Test captain as BCCI announces squad for England series, Rishabh Pant to be the deputy

Right-hand batter Shubman Gill has been appointed as the new Test captain for India while wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will serve as his deputy in the longest format, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced squad for the highly anticipated five-match Test series against England on Saturday.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and the Men’s selection committee attended the meeting at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.

Right-arm seamer Jasprit Bumrah was also considered a potential candidate for the Test captaincy; however, recurring injury concerns in recent times have diminished his prospects. Another name in contention was middle-order batter KL Rahul, but at 33, his age is seen as a limiting factor for a long-term leadership role.

India has added Abhimanyu Easwaran to the Test squad. He has been a domestic cricket stalwart for Bengal, with 101 first-class games, 7,674 runs at an average of 48.87, 27 centuries, and 29 fifties behind him. He had a disappointing tour to Australia last year, where he scored just 36 runs in four innings.

Following Kohli’s retirement from the longest format of the game, a couple of budding and solidified figures like Sai Sudarshan and Karun Nair have been added to the middle-order.

Sudarshan has bided his time in India’s domestic circuit and has carved out his name as a future all-format prospect, standing out as one of the prominent names to fill the everlasting void left by Virat.

The 23-year-old Tamil Nadu batter ran rampant with his sizzling batting display and mustered up 304 runs in three Ranji Trophy matches at 76.00, including a double-hundred, a century and a fifty each. When one dives deeper, Sudharsan has featured in 29 First-Class fixtures, racked up 1,957 runs, averaging nearly 40, glistened with seven centuries and five half-centuries.

Karun, who asked for a second chance with a heartfelt tweet in December 2022, made the most of the opportunity while representing Vidarbha domestically. The man who is just the second Indian to blaze his way to a triple hundred exhibited quintessential form and has pushed a case for his return to the Indian team since his last Test in 2017. He was the fourth-highest run-scorer in last season’s Ranji Trophy with a staggering tally of 863 in nine appearances at 53.93.

In the bowling department, right-arm seamer Jasprit Bumrah will be leading the unit on England soil. Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh and Shardul Thakur are the other fast bowlers in the squad.

Clearing the air on right-arm pacer Mohammed Shami’s inclusion in the squad, BCCI Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar said, “Unfortunately, Shami is not available right now due to fitness reasons.”

The Indian cricket team is set to tour England in 2025 for a five-match Test series, part of the 2025-2027 ICC World Test Championship.

The series will take place from June to August 2025, with matches at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord’s (London), Old Trafford (Manchester), and The Oval (London).

This will be India’s first bilateral series since both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket earlier this month.

India’s Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

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

Indian Air Force helped the IndiGo flight to Srinagar that faced violent storm after Pakistan refused to allow them to use their airspace: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Indian Air Force helped the IndiGo flight to Srinagar that faced violent storm after Pakistan refused to allow them to use their airspace: Report

An IndiGo flight that encountered a violent hailstorm and turbulence on its route from Delhi to Srinagar on 21st May, was reportedly guided by the Indian Air Force (IAF) to a safe landing in Srinagar. A violent hailstorm hit the Delhi-NCR region and some other parts of northern India on Wednesday in which the IndiGo operating flight 6E 2142 got caught resulting in the flight experiencing a 8,500-feet-per-minute descent around four times.

According to NDTV, after facing the rough weather, the pilots made emergency contact with the northern command of the IAF seeking permission for a flight path deviation to avoid the storm. A path deviation would have required the flight to enter Pakistan’s air space briefly which has been shut for Indian aircrafts since 11th May amid the recent military escalations between India and Pakistan. However, Pakistani authorities refused permission for the aircraft to enter its airspace. Pak civil aviation authority’s NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) that specified that Pakistani airspace was “not available to Indian-registered aircraft and aircraft operated/owned/leased by Indian airlines/operators, including military flights”, was effective till midnight on 23rd May, which has been extended for a month.

The flight was assisted in coordinating a route diversion by contacting the Delhi ATC and passing contact frequencies for Lahore ATC for overflight weather diversion request. The pilots then contacted Lahore Air Traffic Control directly for clearance to briefly enter Pakistani airspace to avoid the storm. However, Lahore ATC denied their request.

Faced with with limited options and a thunderstorm growing violent, the pilots of the IndiGo flight first considered returning to Delhi but dropped the idea as by that time, the aircraft was in close proximity of the storm. Subsequently, the pilots moved towards Srinagar. “Once Lahore refused overflight clearance, and the aircraft proceeded towards Srinagar, the flight was subsequently professionally assisted till safe landing at Srinagar…” said an IAF source as quoted by NDTV.

After being hit by the thunderstorm, the aircraft experienced severe turbulence and malfunctions. The pilots somehow kept the aircraft stable till it was able to exit the storm. After this, the crew ticked a checklist and declared emergency and the aircraft was guided by the Srinagar ATC which assisted it to safe landing. However, the nose of the aircraft was significantly damaged in the thunderstorm.

A formal investigation is being carried out by the DGCA which has grounded the two pilots. The flight data and cockpit voice recordings are being assessed by technical teams from IndiGo.

427 Rohingya Muslims fleeing refugee camps in Bangladesh and Myanmarโ€™s Rakhine feared dead in two boat tragedies near Myanmar coast, says UNHCR

OpIndia Staff
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427 Rohingya Muslims fleeing refugee camps in Bangladesh and Myanmarโ€™s Rakhine feared dead in two boat tragedies near Myanmar coast, says UNHCR

As many as 427 Rohingya are feared dead in twin boat tragedies two weeks ago near the Myanmar coast. As per The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), if confirmed, this will be the deadliest tragedy at sea involving Rohingya refugees attempting to flee this year.

While details are not confirmed yet, the UNHCR said in a statement on Friday that two boats carrying around 514 Rohingya Muslims sunk in the sea, taking down majority of the passengers. One boat was carrying 267 people, around half of them were from the massive refugee camps in Coxโ€™s Bazar in Bangladesh, while the rest were people fleeing persecution in the Rakhine State in Myanmar. This boat sank on 9th May, and only 66 out of the total 267 survived.

The second boat also carried refugees from Coxโ€™s Bazar camps and Myanmarโ€™s Rakhine, totalling 247 Rohingya Muslims. The second boat reportedly capsized on 10th May, with only 21 survivors. Therefore, it is feared that out of 514 people, only 87 people survived, leaving 427 dead.

It has been assumed that the boats could not face the strong winds, rainfall and rough seas, as the annual monsoon has arrived in the region. UNHCR said that the boats were travelling at a particularly dangerous time, reflecting the desperation of those making such journeys.

The statement said that a third boat carrying 188 Rohingya was intercepted leaving Myanmar on 14 May.

โ€œThe dire humanitarian situation, exacerbated by funding cuts, is having a devastating impact on the lives of Rohingya, with more and more resorting to dangerous journeys to seek safety, protection and a dignified life for themselves and their families,โ€ said Hai Kyung Jun, Director of UNHCRโ€™s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.

In a post on X, UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi said, โ€œ427 Rohingya people are reported dead in two tragic shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean โ€”- a reminder of the desperate situation of discriminated Rohingya communities in Myanmar, and of the hardship faced by refugees in Bangladesh as humanitarian aid dwindles.โ€ UNHCR said that it requires $383.1 million in 2025 to stabilize the lives of refugees and their host communities across Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and those displaced inside Myanmar. So far, only 30 per cent of this amount has been received, the statement added.

Naxals without a leader, getting pummeled by security forces, is left-wing terrorism free India a real possibility now after Modi Govt’s strong action against the ‘red terror’

Aditi
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Naxals without a leader, getting pummeled by security forces, is left-wing terrorism free India a real possibility now after Modi Govt’s strong action against the ‘red terror’

During the inauguration of the ‘Rising North East Investors Summit’ on Friday (23rd May), PM Modi reiterated his government’s zero tolerance policy towards terrorism and Naxalism in the country. Over the last 10 years, the Modi government has dealt with the menace of Naxalism with an iron hand by adopting a multi-pronged strategy which includes aggressive military operations to eliminate Naxal terrorism as well as development efforts to integrate the Left-wing extremism (LWE) affected areas and people into the mainstream as per the National Policy and Action Plan launched in 2015.

The government has been working on strengthening security as well as civil infrastructure in the Naxal-affected areas by setting up security camps, enabling development projects and launching initiatives like Bastar Olympics housing.

Operation Kagar: last nail in the coffin of Maoist terror

Reintegration of Naxalism-affected people is not possible without eliminating the threat they face from the Naxal terrorists who use the locals to shoot their guns off their shoulders. The Modi government has resolved to uproot Naxalism from the country by March 2026. To achieve this end, the government adopted an aggressive military approach to counter Naxal terrorism which entered its last phase thanks to Operation Kagar.

Operation Kagar was launched by the government in January 2024 to eradicate Naxalism in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra (Gadchiroli), Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana as well as installing new camps as part of the military offensive by security forces. Under the operation, around 1 lakh para-military troops, including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), its elite CoBRA units, District Reserve Guards DRG), and state police, equipped with modern technology, have been deployed in the left-wing terrorism affected areas to completely uproot the naxal terrorism from its last remaining strongholds. Since the inception of the operation, the security forces have eliminated over 400 naxal terrorists so far while more than 800 Maoists have surrendered.

Two days agao, in a major breakthrough, the security forces neutralised the elusive Maoist commander Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju along with 26 naxals in a fierce gunbattle in Abujhmad area of the Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh.

Significant decrease in Naxal-affected areas

The governmemt’s zero tolerance policy, along with an aggressive military approach, has bore significant results with the Maoist violence going down by 77% between 2010 to 2021. There has been considerable decrease in the incidents of violence from 2258 incidents in 2009 to 509 incidents in 2021. The number of naxal-affected districts has also reduced over the past 10 years from 106 districts in 2015 to 6 districts (Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, and Sukma in Chhattisgarh, West Singhbhum in Jharkhand and Gadhchiroli in Maharashtra). Additionally, the deaths resulting from Maoist terror have reduced by 90%.

The number of Naxalites killed in encounters has increased from 63 to 2089. In 2024, 928 Naxalites surrendered, and so far, 718 have surrendered in the first four months of 2025. From 2019 to 2025, the central forces, in collaboration with state police, have established a total of 320 camps in Naxal-affected states, including 68 night-landing helipads. The number of fortified police stations, which was 66 in 2014, has now increased to 555.

Speaking in the Pariliament in March, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that Parliament that Naxalism will be eradicated from the country by March 31st, 2026. He stated that between 2004 and 2014, 16,463 violent incidents were registered , but in the last ten years, this number has gone down by 53 per cent. The deaths of security personnel have also reduced by 73% in the past 10 years.

Depleting Naxal leadership and the approaching end of Maoist terrorism

With the Naxal leadership being wiped out steadily by the security forces, the Naxal movement is now staring at its inevitable end. The recent killing of Maoist leader Basavaraju, who used to walk around with a multi-layer security cover of about 60-70 armed naxals, demonstrates the enhanced accuracy of the security forces in carrying out recent anti-naxal operations. This is surely going to hit the morale of the depleting Maoist cadre

The significance of this achievement of the government and the security forces in their decades-old fight against Maoist terror is underlined by the statement of RK Vij, a former DGP, who played a key role in the formation of District Reserve Guard (DRG) unit of Chhattisgarh Police in 2015.

“This was no ordinary kill.ย Basavaraju, an engineering dropout from Andhra Pradesh,ย was not just a guerrilla commander. He was the ideological and military head of India’s most potent insurgent force. He succeeded Ganapathy in 2018 and brought a militant edge to the party, shifting focus from political mobilisation to aggressive militarisation,” said Vij.”The neutralisation of such a heavily guarded general secretary, surrounded by 60-70 armed cadres, shows how deep our intelligence has gone. More importantly, it will shake their cadre’s confidence to the core. You will see a rise in surrenders.” he added.

Basavaraju not only oversaw combact activities of the Maoist cadre but also provided ideological direction. After him, the Maoist cadre reportedly has two contenders, Devji and Venugopal Rao to take his place.

Devji has served as a field commander after receiving training in the early 1990s. He played a key role in launching the first armed platoon of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the armed wing of the CPI(Maoist), and led the 2007 attack on Geedam police station in Dantewada which strengthened his military reputation among his cadre. He currently heads the Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest operational command of the PLGA. Basavaraju also held the position before becoming the general secretary of the CPI(Maoist). While Devji has proven combat abilities, he lacks ideological finesse.

According to former DGP Vij, “Devji is not just a field operative, he is a strategist. He understands terrain, troop movement and morale. His elevation to the General Secretary post would signal a return to militant hard-lining.”

Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathy, on the other hand, has the reputation of a seasoned Central Committee member. His journey with the Maoist movement started in 1994 with the formation of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DSZC) in which he was appointed as the first General Secretary. A native of Andhra Pradesh, Venugopal has fluency in Telugu, Gondi and Hindi, which provide him an edge in communication in tribal belts. At present, he heads the central bureau, which oversees Maoist operations across Chhattisgarh, North Telangana, parts of Maharashtra and Odisha.

“He knows the geography, culture and conflict points of central India like the back of his hand. His political sharpness and combat credibility make him a strong contender,” Vij said. Unlike Devji, Venugopal is good at building political census, managing local recruitment and negotiating the regional dynamics.

With shrinking Maoist stronghold due to agressive anti-naxal operations of the security forces, it remains to be seen how long before the Naxal movement cedes the ground.

CPI (Maoists) leader Basavaraju received training from LTTE, his death a major blow for the red terror group in terms of technical know-how and military power: Bastar IG

ANI
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CPI (Maoists) leader Basavaraju received training from LTTE, his death a major blow for the red terror group in terms of technical know-how and military power: Bastar IG

General Secretary of CPI (Maoists) Basavaraju, who was neutralised by security forces at Abujhmad area in insurgency-hit Narayanpur district, had received training in targeting security forces from the LTTE.

After the elimination of the top naxal leader, the banned organisation suffered a major dent in terms of technical know-how as well as military power.

Responding to the query of ANI about Basvaraju obtained training from LTTE, Bastar Range Inspector General of Police (IG) Sundarraj P said that the outlawed organisation has separate groups like insurgency groups and militant groups to execute incidents like IED blasts, ambushes and attacks on camps of security forces.

There were multiple inputs received (in past) that they (referring to the naxal organisation) had taken training from the LTTE, said the IG, adding that they had taken training from a foreign organisation and also exchanged technical know-how.

He further said that since Basvaraju was the general Secretary of CPI (Maoists) and held the responsibility of the Central military commission, he directly or indirectly had a role in the military action that took place in past. After the death of Basvaraju we can say that the banned organisation had suffered major dent in terms of technical knowhow and the military power will also face a major decline.

Bastar IG said that the naxal organisation has been directionless and has not seen any face who can revive the outfit.

“After Ramanna, the Secretary of DKSZC, died, no one was officially nominated as Secretary. Even after five to six years, the banned organisation failed to develop any new leadership. The existing leadership is around 70 years old. They did not have leadership at the next level because the organisation failed to attract youth due to its destructive actions,” he further added.

“We believe that the banned organisation did not require any general secretary because it will be eliminated soon. The organisation, heading towards its end, did not require any Secretary and General Secretary,” said Sundarraj.

Speaking about the status of PLGA-1 and Hidma, the officer said that effective campaigns were carried out against the PLGA battalion-1 in the south and west of Bastar. Be it Hidma, Barsa Deva of PLGA battalion-1, or any company Commanders and cadres, they have only one option left: shun the path of violence and surrender. Otherwise, they are going to meet their fate like other senior cadres.

In 2024 and 2025, naxal organisation has suffered serious damage and the entire organisation is on the backfoot, said Sundarraj, adding that the number of cadres also declined significantly. The areas of their dominance are also shrinking.

“We hope that naxal problems will be resolved soon, peace will be established, and developmental works will gain momentum”, said Sundarraj.

Speaking about the chronology of the encounter, the IG said that we cannot divulge the details of operations due to preventive measures. Still, the intelligence-based operations in the last two to three years led to fruitful results.

In 2024, the bodies of six state-level committee members and PLGA members were recovered. Similarly, a central commitee member and general Secretary of CPI (Maoists), along with another cadre, were recovered after Narayanpur encounter in 2025.

Sundarraj said, “In this encounter, separate teams of DRG were mobilised from two to three launchpads, acting on precise intelligence inputs.”

The officer elaborated that the terrain was tough and challenging due to hills and dense forest. Overcoming all the challenges, the security personnel acted tactfully so that their location would not be revealed to the Naxals. Security personnel successfully met out the challenge in the form of IEDs planted by naxals, reached the spot and surrounded the cadres of the banned organisation. Keeping their damage very minimum, the personnel cause significant damage to insurgents.

Notably, 27 naxals, including Basvaraju, were killed in an encounter with the DRG at the dense forest of Abujhmad in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh on May 21. Search carried out by security personnel at the spot of encounter site resulted in recovery of firearms including AK-47 rifles, SLRs, Insas, carbines and others.

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

Bangladesh: Muslim mob sets Hindu homes on fire after death of local politician, lawlessness continues under the watch of Muhammad Yunus

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Muslim mob sets Hindu homes on fire after death of local politician, lawlessness continues under the watch of Muhammad Yunus

On Thursday (22nd May), a Muslim mob carried out arson attacks on Hindu homes in Dahar Mashihati village in Abhaynagar upazila in Jessore district of Bangladesh.

The development was confirmed in a report (archive) published by Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo.

The incident occured soon after the killing of a 50-year-old Krishak Dal leader Tariqul Islam over the ownership dispute of a fish enclosure. Islam was shot and hacked to death.

Thereafter, a mob of Muslim extremists set fire to more than 20 Hindu homes in the Dahar Mashihati village. They vandalised 4 shops and set 2 others on fire. More than 10 people were injured in the targeted attacks.

It has come to light that Tariqul Islam had an ongoing dispute with one Piltu Biswas over a parcel of land, the lease of which had expired. Both Islam and Biswas wanted the piece of land. The Krishak Dal leader wanted to farm fish and build an enclosure.

Following the murder of Tariqul Islam, Muslim mob ambushed Hindu homes in the village and set their houses and shops on fire. Visuals of destroyed homes belonging the persecuted minority community have now surfaced on social media.

When a journalist from Prothom Alo went to the Dahar Mashihati village, he found that all Hindu homes and their belongings were turned to ashes. The journalist reported the destruction of 6 vehicles (one van, 5 bikes) in the arson attack.

He added that all male members of the houses had fled the area fearing their safety. Some Hindu women had remained behind. Most of the victims belonged to the Matua community.

One victim told Prothom Alo that a mob of 4-5 extremists first attacked their house. The attackers were then joined by over 150 people. The victim informed that the mob vandalised their houses, looted all belongings and set them ablaze.

A 25-year-old Hindu youth named Sagar Biswas was also abducted by Muslim extremists. The police, army officers and fire service personnel came only after two hours of the carnage.

A Hindu woman named Panna Biswas stated, “There was a TV, fridge, gold coins, passport, prescriptions for medicines, 1.5 lakh Tk cash in the house. Now there is nothing left in the house.”

Another victim named Smriti Biswas informed, “First, the mob broke into the house and then looted gold and money. Then, they thrashed me mercilessly and kicked me to the ground.”

In the meantime, the Hindu youth Sagar Biswas was rescued. A large team of police and army personnel were deployed to bring the law and order under control.

Attack on Hindus in Bangladesh since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina

OpIndia has been vetting and reporting cases of atrocities on Hindus since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina on 5th August 2024.

There have been at least 205 attacks on Hindu temples, shops and businesses within 3 days of the fall of Dhaka.

We previously exposed how Muslim students have forced as many as 60 Hindu teachers, professors and government officials to resign from their positions.

Human rights activist and exiled Bangladeshi blogger, Asad Noor, has recently revealed that the minority community is now being coerced into joining โ€˜Jamaat-e-Islamiโ€™.

On 6th September, a procession of Hindu devotees carrying the idol of Lord Ganesha came under attack in the Kadam Mubarak area in Chittagong city of Bangladesh.

Ahead of the Durga Puja celebrations, a radical Muslim man named Yasin Mia vandalised the idols of Goddess Durga and other Hindu deities in Gouripur town in the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh on 25th September.

In the latest series of attacks, idols of Goddess Durga and other Hindu deities were vandalised at the Rishipara Barwari Puja Mandap and the Manikadi Palpara Barwari Pujamandap on 28th September and 1st October respectively.

The attacks were carried out in Sujanagar upazila in Pabna district in Rajshahi Division of Bangladesh. While a total of 4 idols were defaced at the Rishipara Barwari Puja Mandap, another 5 Hindu idols were destroyed at the Manikadi Palpara Barwari Pujamandap.

On 3rd October, 7 idols of Hindu deities were destroyed at the Gopinath Jiur Akhara Durga Puja mandap in Kishoreganj, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh.

On 5th November, the Hindu community came under attack from police and law enforcement authorities in Hazari Goli in Chittagong city of Bangladesh.

On 29th November, a violent Muslim mob attacked Hindu minorities and vandalised 3 temples in Patharghata in  Chittagong district of Bangladesh.

The Hindu religious sites that the Muslims targeted included the Shantaneshwari Matri Temple, the Shoni Temple, and Shantaneshwari Kalibari Temple. The attack took place immediately after the conclusion of Jumma Namaz. 

On 30th November, a prominent Hindu journalist named Munni Saha was arrested by the police from Karwan Bazar in Dhaka city of Bangladesh.

A group of extremists attacked the Mahashmashan Kali Mata Mandir, vandalised 7 idols of deities and stole gold ornaments on 13th December 2024.

On 19th December, a Muslim man identified as Alal Uddin vandalised an idol at the Polashkanda Kali Temple and then attempted to create a fake alibi. The incident occurred in Haluaghat upazila in the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh.

Another 37-year-old Muslim man identified as Azharul vandalised several idols of deities in Haluaghat Upazila in the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh.

The recent arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu and his aides, attempts at banning Hindu organisation ISKCON and stiffling Hindu protests with cases of โ€˜seditionโ€™ highlight systematic persecution under the interim government of Muhammad Yunus.

There have been multiple instances of attacks on Hindus under the pretext of โ€˜blasphemy.โ€™ The recent cases of Hridoy Pal, Utsab Mandal, Partha Biswas Pintu, Akash Das, Pranta Talukder and Utsab Kumar Gian are shining examples of targeted persecution.

Operation Sindoor: Women pilots led Indiaโ€™s fierce retaliation, 200+ killed in Pakistan

OpIndia Staff
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Operation Sindoor: Women pilots led Indiaโ€™s fierce retaliation, 200+ killed in Pakistan

Over 200 terrorists and Pakistani military personnel were killed in Indiaโ€™s bold and meticulously planned military campaign, Operation Sindoor. The campaign was launched by the armed forces in response to the deadly 22nd April Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 26 innocent Hindu tourists.

According to an exclusive report by CNN News18, top defence sources said that at least 42 Pakistani soldiers and 170 terrorists were neutralised in the strikes that were initiated by Indian armed forces targeting the terrorist bases and Pakistani airbases across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Notably, women pilots of Indian Air Force played a crucial role in the operation.

Indian women pilots play historic role

Operation Sindoor was first-of-its-kind as several Indian women pilots played active combat roles. It became a landmark moment not just in military terms but in gender inclusion within the armed forces. These women were part of precision air missions that destroyed nine terrorist bases on 7th May, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad base in Bahawalpur where several of the family members of terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar were killed.

After that, 9th and 10th May strikes on Pakistanโ€™s airbases in Sargodha, Rahim Yar Khan and the strategic Nur Khan base demolished the Pakistani infrastructure to a large extent. According to News18 sources, the operation was an outcome of years of military readiness post the Doklam standoff in 2017.

Operation paused, not ended

Despite the success, officials have categorically noted that Operation Sindoor is only โ€œpaused, not overโ€. India remains on high alert, anticipating possible retaliation. According to sources, โ€œPakistan has been humiliated. We expect them to try something. All forces are on alert.โ€

Notably, General Asim Munir of the Pakistani Army has been promoted to Field Marshal after his failure in leading the Pakistan Army during Indian operation. Indian officials have called it a โ€œface-savingโ€ move.

PM Modi’s powerful address โ€“ ‘They tried to erase our sindoor. We turned them to dust’

On 22nd May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed that India had struck back hard to take revenge for the Pahalgam terrorist attack. He hailed the armed forces and unveiled what he called a โ€œnew doctrineโ€ of Indian security โ€“ swift, unrelenting, and unapologetic retaliation.

He declared, โ€œOur forces have created a chakravyuh that has brought Pakistan to its knees.โ€ He added, โ€œRahim Khar air base is now in the ICU,โ€ while referring to Pakistanโ€™s failed strike attempt on Indiaโ€™s Nal airbase.

Ending on a warning, he asserted, โ€œIf you attack India, youโ€™ll face fire. And nuclear threats donโ€™t scare us anymore.โ€

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