Arunachal to Visakhapatnam, echo from Pahalgam victims' kin: ‘Op Sindoor means Justice'
The family of Corporal Tage Hailyang, who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, thanked the Indian armed forces and government for Operation Sindoor. They also expressed hope for the safety of security forces and justice for all families affected by the attack.
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The Print
35 minutes ago
- The Print
16 Indians still missing after joining Russian army, families to travel to Moscow for answers
Around 126 Indians joined the Russian Army to fight the war in Ukraine between the end of 2023 and early 2024. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), 96 of them have returned to India, while 12 were killed on the frontlines. Russian authorities have been unable to ascertain the location of 16 Indians for over a year. In February, the government informed the Lok Sabha that 18 Indians were in Russia, of which 16 are missing. Of the remaining two, Jain T.K from Kerala, who was injured on the frontlines, returned in April. The other Indian has acquired Russian citizenship, said a person familiar with the matter. New Delhi: At least 16 Indians remain missing in Russia for over a year, after being forced to join the military there last year. Some of the family members of those missing are set to travel to Moscow later this month to further inquire about the case. The issue of Indians in the Russian armed forces has been raised at the highest levels, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting Russian President Vladimir V. Putin twice in 2024—at the annual India-Russia Summit in July and on the margins of the BRICS Summit at Kazan in October. Now, four family members of at least 14 of the missing Indians are set to travel to Moscow at the end of June for a month. They will be working with a local foundation and meet with Russian authorities to find out more about the status of the missing Indians. 'Four of us will be travelling to Moscow, along with the power of attorney for 10 of the other families. For the one and a half years, all we have been told is that our family members remain missing,' Jagdeep Kumar, one of the family members set to travel, told ThePrint. His brother Mandeep Kumar from Phillaur in Punjab was promised a visa to Italy before he departed India in December 2023. The family paid Rs 31.40 lakh to an agent for Mandeep's travel to Italy. However, rather than Italy, Mandeep landed up in Moscow and was signed up by the Russian Army. The family last spoke to him on 3 March, 2024. 'He was given 15 days of training to become a sniper in the Russian Army, before being sent to the frontlines. Mandeep has a handicap, which does not allow him to run, but he was sent to the frontlines,' Jagdeep told ThePrint. Also Read: 3 Indians missing after travelling to Iran, embassy 'strongly takes up matter' with Tehran From UP, Punjab to J&K & Maharashtra Families of at least 14 Indians held a protest at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar in the last week of May. Nine of them are from Uttar Pradesh, with the majority from Azamgarh district. Three are from Punjab, while one each is from Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra. One of the missing from Punjab, according to a list curated by the families and seen by ThePrint, is Tejpal Singh, from Amritsar. Singh's family also last spoke with him on 3 March last year, before he was taken to Tokmak city, in the Ukrainian province of Zaporizhzhia. Russia has sought to annex Zaporizhzhia, along with the provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Crimea since the current phase of open warfare began a little over three years ago. Mandeep, on the other hand, was sent to Donetsk, after which his family lost all connection with him. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed last month that Arvind Kumar from Azamgarh district, one of the missing Indians, signed a contract on 17 January, 2024 to join the military in the Leningrad region. However, the military selection point for Leningrad region denied that other Indians, including Mandeep, signed contracts in the region for military service. New Delhi has pushed Moscow to ensure that no other Indians are allowed to join the Russian armed forces. The number of Indians signing up to the Russian military has since been curbed. There have been no new cases of Indians intimating either the Embassy in Moscow or the MEA of their service in the Russian armed forces. The Russia-Ukraine war has been ongoing since February 2022. In recent weeks, it has intensified, especially after Kyiv was able to destroy Russian strategic bombers through Operation Spiderweb. On Sunday, Russia is reported to have launched nearly 500 loitering munitions and missiles at Western Ukraine, in one of its largest such aerial attacks till date. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: Another Indian recruit in Russian army dies on warfront, some yet to be released
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Wazahat Khan, the man who filed FIR against influencer Sharmistha Panoli, arrested in Kolkata
Wazahat Khan, whose complaint led to influencer Sharmistha Panoli's arrest on May 30, was himself arrested on the night of June 9 from Kolkata's Amherst Street area. BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul had also registered a case against Mr Khan last week. Multiple FIRs were filed against Mr Khan, including one in Assam, for 'allegedly spreading hatred on social media and hurting religious sentiments,' according to Kolkata Police officials. The 29-year-old Wazahat Khan has been booked under Bhartiya Nyay Sanghita's Sections 196(1)(a)/299/352/353(1)(c). He was absconding for the past 10 days. He is set to produced in a city court on Tuesday (June 10). Police had conducted multiple raids at Digha and Howrah based on leads. But Mr Khan was finally arrested from the Amherst Street area in relation to a case registered with the Golf Green Police Station. When Wazahat was absconding, his father shared concerns that his son was under threat. 'He was getting multiple calls throughout the day. He left home and his phone is switched off. We have not been able to find him since then, we are really worried,' Sahadat Khan, Mr Wazahat's father said. Reacting to Mr Khan's arrest, BJP State president and MP, Sukanta Majumdar said that the Mamata Banerjee government 'orchestrated his arrest through her subservient Kolkata Police to ensure his safe and protected custody under the State's wing.' A team of Assam Police was also present in West Bengal looking for Mr Khan based on the case registered against him in Assam. There were social media rumours that the Kolkata Police was not cooperating with their Assam counterparts. 'Kolkata Police strongly refutes the misleading claim being circulated on social media suggesting non-cooperation with Assam Police,' the Kolkata Police officials said in a statement. 'Wazahat Khan's arrest, immediately following the departure of Assam Police from Kolkata, is nothing but a textbook example of Mamata Banerjee's age-old politics of appeasement,' Mr Majumdar wrote on social media handle X. He further accused that this was a blatant abuse of State machinery by the CM to protect notorious criminals. On Friday (June 6, 2025) afternoon, Ms Panoli was set free from Kolkata's Alipore jail. She was granted bail in the hate speech case by the Calcutta High Court on Thursday (June 5, 2025) for a bond of ₹10,000. The court also asked the police to offer her protection because her counsel stated that the young woman was receiving rape and death threats after her arrest. This came after Ms Panoli posted a video on social media and made communal comments and made claims about Operation Sindoor which the Kolkata Police noted as 'hate speech' and asked people not to confuse that with 'freedom of speech'. She did this as a reaction to the Pahalgam attack which left at least 26 people dead in Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
‘My true factual story is being heard': Fugitive Vijay Mallya overwhelmed as podcast hits 20 million views in just 5 days
Five days after fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who has been criticised for alleged fraud and loan defaults, created a buzz through a video podcast with Raj Shamani, the founder of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, on Tuesday, expressed gratitude for the 'overwhelming' response to the video. The podcast aired on June 5 had garnered over 20 million views. 'To say that I am humbled and overwhelmed is well short of what I truly feel. A big heartfelt thank you to all those who took the time to watch my 4-hour-plus podcast with @rajshamani 20 million views on YouTube alone in 4 days, and god knows how many more reposts on Instagram and Facebook fills my heart with joy that my true factual story is being heard. May god bless you all,' he wrote on X. See the post here: To say that I am humbled and overwhelmed is well short of what I truly feel. A big heartfelt thank you to all those who took the time to watch my 4 hour plus podcast with @rajshamani 20 million views on YouTube alone in 4 days and god knows how many more reposts on Instagram and… — Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) June 9, 2025 Mallya, who has been living in the United Kingdom since March 2016, had said in the podcast that he would 'seriously consider' returning to India if he is assured of a fair trial and a dignified existence in his home country. With nearly a million views, Mallya's latest post quickly gained traction and prompted mixed reactions. 'You deserve justice. Let's see when GOI support you. Good luck,' a user wrote. 'If you are really innocent a toy claim, hire the best lawyer, approach SC, and get a clean chit. You can then come back proudly with your head held high,' another user commented. 'You will always be remembered as a clown. That podcast had zero impact on mature people, only underage RCB fans might have believed it,' a third user reacted. A key accused in a major bank loan default case involving over Rs 9,000 crore linked to the Kingfisher Airlines, Mallya fled from India in 2016. He faces serious allegations of cheating, criminal conspiracy, money laundering, and the misuse of loan funds provided by a union of Indian banks, led by the State Bank of India (SBI). His companies are under probe by multiple agencies in India, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
