INDIA

A large-scale demolition operation carried out by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in the Chandola Talab area has displaced thousands of Muslim families, triggering outrage from civil rights groups and community leaders who have denounced the move as “inhumane” and politically motivated. The AMC targeted over 7,000 structures—primarily homes of Muslims—citing national security concerns following the April 26 militant attack in Pahalgam. Authorities claim the demolished dwellings were illegally built and allegedly inhabited by undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants. Since then, more than 6,500 residents, mostly Muslims, have reportedly been detained for citizenship verification. Activists, however, argue that most detainees are Indian citizens with proper identification such ...

Passengers booking train tickets may now notice a new addition — a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a saluting pose, alongside a message commemorating the bravery of soldiers in Operation Sindoor. The Indian Railways has confirmed that this move is part of a broader tribute to the armed forces and the recent military operation. “This is a salute from the Honourable Prime Minister to the heroes of Operation Sindoor,” said Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity, Railway Board, justifying the use of PM Modi’s photo on the tickets. Along with the ticket redesign, the Railways has launched a nationwide campaign to mark the operation's success. Railway stations across several divisions have been decorated in the colours of the armed forces. From New De...

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched a fresh attack on External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, saying his silence on the number of aircraft India "lost" after Pakistan was "informed" about the military action under Operation Sindoor is "damning". The BJP hit back, accusing Gandhi of speaking the "language of Pakistan" and asking whether the Congress party was truly serious about supporting the nation. Gandhi had earlier also targeted the Jaishankar on the issue, suggesting that the Indian side informed Pakistan ahead of the military strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had described Gandhi's claims that Jaishankar acknowledged India having alerted Pakist...

The Ministry of Home Affairs has revoked the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card of Nitasha Kaul, a Kashmiri Pandit academic and writer based in the United Kingdom, alleging her involvement in activities considered hostile to India. The move, which Kaul described as “transnational repression,” follows years of criticism she has leveled against the Modi government, especially over its treatment of minorities and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Kaul, who was born into a Kashmiri Pandit family and currently teaches at the University of Westminster, shared a portion of the cancellation notice on X (formerly Twitter), claiming the government’s action was driven by her academic and political commentary. “This is a punitive response to my intellectual dissent against majoritaria...

Jyoti Malhotra, a popular travel vlogger from Hisar, Haryana, has been arrested on charges of espionage for allegedly passing sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence officials. Authorities claim her actions constitute a serious breach of national security and fall under the violations of the Official Secrets Act. Known by her YouTube handle Travel with Jo, Malhotra has over 377,000 subscribers and is known for her international travel content, including multiple vlogs from Pakistan. Her most recent videos from Pakistan were uploaded just last month. She portrayed herself as a cultural ambassador, often presenting her travels as efforts to promote mutual understanding between nations. According to the First Information Report (FIR), Malhotra’s alleged espionage activitie...

Dr. Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor at Ashoka University and noted political commentator, was arrested by Haryana Police early Saturday morning following a complaint filed by a leader of the BJP’s youth wing. The arrest has sparked a wave of criticism from academics, civil rights activists, and public intellectuals across the country. Here's what Ali had said in his post dated May 8: "Strategically India has actually begun a new phase in terms of collapsing distinction between military and terrorist (non-state actors) in Pakistan. In effect the response to any terrorist activity will invite a conventional response and so this puts the onus on the Pakistani military to make sure that it cannot hide any longer behind terrorists and non-state actors. In any case the Pak m...

In a sharp escalation of diplomatic maneuvering following the recent military flare-up triggered by the Pahalgam attack and India’s Operation Sindoor, both New Delhi and Islamabad have announced high-level diplomatic missions to world capitals in an effort to shape international opinion. Just hours after India revealed plans to dispatch seven all-party delegations to key global partners, Pakistan responded with its own announcement — a high-powered diplomatic delegation led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will be sent to “expose Indian propaganda” and advocate for Pakistan’s version of events on the international stage. India’s move, coordinated by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, is unprecedented in scope and tone. The delegations, which include repr...

The Kashmiriyat’s X (formerly Twitter) account, which was withheld by the Government of India on May 8, 2025, has been reinstated as of May 17 (Saturday). The account’s suspension sparked widespread political outrage and condemnation across Jammu and Kashmir, with many viewing the move as a serious blow to press freedom and democratic values in the region. The ban had affected not only The Kashmiriyat but also Kashmiri media platforms such as Free Press Kashmir and Kashmir Life, along with senior journalists including Muzammil Jaleel and Anuradha Bhasin. Political leaders, civil society members, and journalists decried the decision as an alarming attempt to silence independent voices reporting on ground realities. New Delhi based Maktoob Media which was banned on the same day has als...

The government is considering plans to increase the length of the Ranbir canal on the Chenab river as part of its efforts to maximise the use of water that India will get after putting the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam attack, officials said. Till now, India has been using limited water from Chenab, mostly for irrigation, but by putting the treaty in abeyance now there is scope of expanding its use, especially in power generation sector to meet the energy demands, a senior official said. Another official said that India is planning to enhance its current hydropower capacity of around 3000 megawatts on the rivers that were earlier being used by Pakistan and a feasibility study in this regard is planned, the official said. "One of the major plans are enhancin...