Guided missile destroyers to ‘maintain deterrent presence’ after Israel-linked vessel hit off Indian coast.
The Indian Navy has dispatched guided missile destroyers to the Arabian Sea after an attack on an Israel-linked chemical tanker off its coast, the Ministry of Defence said.
Three stealth-guided destroyers were deployed “in various areas of the sea” to “maintain a deterrent presence” considering the “recent spate of attacks in the Arabian Sea”, the ministry said in a statement late on Monday. It was also using long-range maritime patrol aircraft for “domain awareness”, it said.
The United States claimed that the December 23 strike on MV Chem Pluto in the Indian Ocean was “fired from Iran”, an accusation that Tehran has dismissed as baseless.
The attack came as a US-led task force sought to counter similar threats to maritime shipping in the Red Sea posed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.
The Indian Navy said it was investigating the nature of the attack on MV Chem Puto, which “anchored safely” in the financial capital, Mumbai, on Monday.
An initial assessment “pointed to a drone attack”, the ministry said. But “further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used”.
The vessel had been “cleared for further operation” by its company, according to the ministry.
Shipping under threat
MV Chem Pluto, a Japanese-owned tanker carrying 21 Indians and one Vietnamese citizen, was hit on Saturday while travelling 200 nautical miles (370km) off the coast of India, according to the Pentagon. The attack sparked a fire, which was put out, but caused no casualties.
The Houthis have pledged to target any Israel-linked vessel in the Red Sea, through which some 12 percent of all global trade passes, in solidarity with Gaza which has been bombarded by land, sea and air by the Israeli military.
Since October, the Houthis have waged attacks on more than a dozen vessels, pushing some of the world’s largest firms to abandon the route. The attack in the Indian Ocean, far away from the Red Sea, has raised concerns about even broader risks to maritime shipping amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Amid the uptick in maritime strikes, this was the first that the US has sought to directly pin on Iran. It was also the first on a vessel outside the Red Sea.
Washington has accused Tehran of being “deeply involved” in the Houthi operations.
But Iran insists that it is not coordinating with the Houthis and plays no role in the attacks.
“The resistance [Houthis] has its own tools … and acts in accordance with its own decisions and capabilities,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri told the Mehr news agency on Saturday.
Airbus A340 carrying 276 Indian passengers arrives in Mumbai early on Tuesday.
A plane carrying hundreds of Indian passengers that was grounded in France for four days amid a probe into possible human trafficking has arrived in India.
The Airbus A340 carrying 276 Indian passengers landed in Mumbai early on Tuesday morning, flight tracking data showed.
The flight, operated by Romania-based Legend Airlines, had been en route from the United Arab Emirates to Nicaragua when it was detained at a regional airport on Thursday following a tip-off that its passengers may be victims of trafficking.
Passengers on the flight were confined at Vatry airport, about 150km east of Paris, while authorities turned the terminal into a makeshift courtroom to carry out emergency hearings.
Among the 303 original passengers who stayed behind in France, 25, including five minors, requested asylum in the country and two others were initially detained as part of the trafficking probe before being released, local authorities said.
The plane’s departure on Monday came after a French court ruled that authorities did not have legal authority to detain several of the passengers further.
French authorities have said they did not find evidence of human trafficking but are continuing to investigate potential breaches of immigration laws.
The Indian Embassy expressed thanks to French officials for the “quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home” in a post on X.
The US accusations are meant to ‘distract’ from Washington’s complicity in Israel’s ‘crimes in Gaza’, Iran’s FM says.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed accusations of the United States that Tehran struck a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean, as tension rises globally over threats to maritime shipping.
A spokesperson for the ministry dismissed the accusation out of hand at a news conference on Monday. He asserted that the US claim that an Iran-launched drone had hit a Japanese-owned tanker as it sailed near India was false.
Global trade has been hit hard as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a flurry of attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis say the campaign, targeting what they say are Israeli-linked vessels, is intended to force Israel to halt its bombardment of Gaza.
“We declare these claims as completely rejected and worthless,” said Nasser Kanaani when asked about the US accusation.
“Such claims are aimed at projecting, distracting public attention, and covering up for the full support of the American government for the crimes of the Zionist regime [Israel] in Gaza,” he added.
Broader security threat
The attack on Saturday hit the MV Chem Pluto, a Japanese-owned tanker travelling 200 nautical miles (370km) off the coast of India, according to the US Pentagon.
The tanker was “Israel-affiliated” and had been on its way from Saudi Arabia to India, reported maritime security firm Ambrey.
Amid the recent spate of maritime assaults, it is the first that the US has sought to directly pin on Iran. It is also the first on a vessel outside the Red Sea.
The US, which is leading a global task force to counter the Houthi threat, has repeatedly accused Iran of being “deeply involved”.
However, Iran insists that it is not coordinating with the Houthis and plays no role in the attacks.
“The resistance [Houthis] has its own tools … and acts in accordance with its own decisions and capabilities,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri told the Mehr news agency on Saturday.
“The fact that certain powers, such as the Americans and the Israelis, suffer strikes from the resistance movement … should in no way call into question the reality of the strength of the resistance in the region,” he added.
Amid the tension, Iran’s navy has taken delivery of long-range cruise missiles as well as reconnaissance helicopters, according to the country’s state media.
On August 12, a family in the central Indian city of Bhopal took a selfie in their home. After the photo, the father, Bhupendra Vishwakarma, gave his two sons, eight and three years old, a poisoned drink, and he and his wife took their lives by hanging themselves.
In his four-page suicide note, Vishwakarma, 35, who worked in an insurance firm, wrote that he was trapped in a cycle of debt from loan apps. Recovery agents had been tormenting him for months and the last message he received from them tipped him over the edge.
It said, “Tell him to repay the loan; otherwise, today I will strip him naked and upload it on social media.”
In his suicide note, Vishwakarma said, “Today, the situation has reached the point of losing my job as well. I can’t see a future for myself and my family. I am no longer worthy of showing my face to anyone. How will I face my family?”
Police have arrested five people involved in the scam so far even as the investigation continues.
Vishwakarma’s story is not unique. Shivani Rawat, a 23-year-old college receptionist in Delhi, faced her own ordeal. In June 2023, she applied for a 4,000 rupee ($48) loan through an app called “Kreditbe”, since her salary was delayed. Her loan request remained pending, with no funds received. Yet, within a week, she began receiving 10-15 calls demanding 9,000 rupees ($108) for repayment.
Rawat said she told the recovery agents that she hadn’t received any money in her account, “but they started using abusive language. When I stopped answering their calls, they began sending me abusive texts.”
In August, her colleagues received manipulated explicit photos of her and her family that had been sent by representatives of Kreditbe. She tried to explain the situation to her coworkers, but the next day, her manager asked her to resign because her presence made others uncomfortable.
“After losing my job, I became so depressed that I even had thoughts of ending my life,” Rawat admitted.
Al Jazeera tried reaching out to Kreditbe for a comment but there was no information available on the firm and none of the representatives who had been in touch with Rawat were available any more.
Bhupendra Vishwakarma took a selfie with his family before he died by suicide [Anil Kumar Tyagi/Al Jazeera]
Kreditbe’s name is a rip-off of a legitimate loan app called KreditBee, a common modus operandi for these illegal loan apps which often choose names similar to reputable brands to create a sense of authenticity.
Both Vishwakarma and Rawat had borrowed money from lending apps, which offer loans to users in a convenient, few clicks and without the extensive documentation that a traditional bank loan requires. The money is credited to the borrower’s account within a few minutes, unlike the five to seven days that a bank loan takes for borrowers who meet the high eligibility bar.
These apps saw a rise in use during the pandemic as with many businesses shut or scaled back, a significant number of people were unemployed and in financial difficulties.
The average loan tickets in these apps range between 10,000 rupees to 25,000 rupees ($120 to $300) with monthly interest rates of 20 percent to 30 percent and a processing fee that can be as much as 15 percent.
Loan app representatives typically begin the recovery process 15 days after approving the loan. However, in many cases, they have been known to start harassing people just four to six days after disbursing the loan, and in Tiwari’s case, it was even before she actually received the loan.
As per Akshay Bajpai, an independent cybersecurity expert in Bhopal, currently, more than 700 loan apps are operating in the country, some of which are Indian but the majority of which are Chinese-owned and hire Indians to run them.
While some of them are outright frauds and use the promise of quick money to get fees from desperate loan seekers before disappearing in the night, others are in a grey area not just because of the malicious methods they employ to extort money from innocent people but also because they don’t follow the central bank rules on online lending including on the annual interest rate, various charges.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also clearly said that no lending institution can store customer details except some minimal data such as the name, address and contact details of the customer. However, illegal apps access contact lists and pictures, edit them and use manipulated images to blackmail borrowers to recover money.
According to a study conducted by CloudSek, a cybersecurity software company, between July 22, 2023, and September 18, 2023, their experts monitored 55 fraudulent loan apps that targeted individuals. Additionally, they identified more than 15 obscure payment gateways operated by individuals of Chinese origin who undertook those steps to evade detection.
The Chinese loan apps also employ this modus operandi in Southeast Asia and some African nations, as well. In countries where people are less aware of cybersecurity and fraud, people become easy targets for such malicious activities.
Creating fear
Loan apps representatives harass borrowers with threatening and abusive messages and calls like these that Shivani Rawat received [Courtesy Shivani Rawat]
“Scammers instil fear in the minds of their victims by employing various tactics. Initially, they may threaten to access the victim’s contact list and make calls. If the victim resists, they may infiltrate the victim’s photo gallery, manipulate images, and send them back,” explained Pravin Kalaiselvan, founder of SaveThem India, an NGO that spreads awareness about cybercrime.
“This induces panic among the victims, ultimately leading them to comply with the scammers’ demands for money,” he added.
In the last three years, Loan Consumer Association (LCA), a group of advocates and social workers focused on combating unethical recovery practices by banks and apps, has helped almost 1,800 people stuck in these illegal loan app traps both with counselling and help them file complaints with the police.
According to Nikkhil Jethwa, a cyber-safety expert and founder of LCA, nearly 90 percent of these individuals were dealing with clinical depression and distress. Some would even panic or start shivering when their phones rang, he recalled.
Escalating complaints
Complaints about digital lending have surged since Prime Minister Narendra Modi put the country in lockdown in March 2020 in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from SaveThem India Foundation.
That year, the foundation received approximately 29,000 complaints filled with horror stories of intimidating calls and messages from the representatives of the loan apps. That number went up to about 76,000 in 2021. They have received 46,359 complaints in the first nine months of this year.
According to a survey conducted by LocalCircle from July 2020 to June 2022, 14 percent of surveyed Indians utilised instant loan applications in the past two years. Fifty-eight percent encountered exorbitant interest rates of 25 percent and 54 percent of the respondents reported experiencing incidents of extortion or data misuse during the collection process.
‘Government agencies unprepared’
In his suicide note, Vishwakarma wrote that he visited the Cyber Crime Office in Bhopal but received no assistance from the officers.
A senior police official from Madhya Pradesh who declined to be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media told Al Jazeera that the police was just not trained to deal with cybercrime.
“Many policemen in cyber-police stations lack even basic internet knowledge, while cybercriminals are well-equipped with the latest technology. This is why most cybercrimes go unsolved,” he said.
Indian police are not trained to deal with cybercrime [File: Ajit Solanki/AP Photo]
Interactive Voice Response is another tool used by scammers as companies that offer this service provide it without strict documentation. It’s used to target people who are not active online on sites like Facebook, where loan apps usually advertise their apps, said Kalaiselvan.
A majority of these scammers use virtual numbers from neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal, making it challenging to track them down.
“Loan scammers take advantage of these services, making it hard for authorities to catch them,” Kalaiselvan said.
According to experts, these apps typically have names that include keywords like “easy”, “loan”, “Aadhar” and “emi”, making them easily discoverable through online searches (Aadhar is the unique 12-digit ID that people in India need to avail banking services).
Additionally, they promote their services on platforms, such as Facebook, and on Google via its AdSense which allows website owners to display targeted ads to expand their user base. When these apps face bans or complaints, they often alter their names and other details, reemerging with a new identity.
Loan app scammers extort money through bank accounts, but despite the availability of that record, very few scammers are apprehended, said Jethwa.
One reason is that very few Indians are digitally savvy. According to Oxfam’s India Inequality Report 2022, just 38 percent of households in the country possess digital literacy.
“The government promotes Digital India, but we lack the infrastructure and cyber-literacy programmes for the people,” said Jethwa.
Measures taken
In March, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) seized moveable assets worth 1.06 billion rupees ($12.76m) in Bengaluru in connection with financial frauds committed by Chinese loan apps.
The ED stated that these companies swiftly offered short-term loans to the public via loan apps and other channels, imposing steep processing fees along with excessively high interest rates. They recovered amounts from the borrowers through coercive tactics, including relentless phone threats and causing emotional distress.
In a report, Google India said it removed more than 3,500 personal loan applications from its Play Store in 2022 due to their failure to comply with its policies and regulations. These apps were unlawfully accessing user data, including contacts and photos.
In September 2022, India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the RBI would make a list of legal apps, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) would ensure only these approved apps were available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
On February 7, 2023, in response to a parliamentary question, the Finance Ministry said that it has forwarded a whitelist of approved digital lending apps to app stores such as Google Play Store and Apple App Store. However, that statement was debunked by local media which reported no such list had been sent.
Around the same time, central bank governor Shaktikanta Das said that digital lending apps are not under the regulatory purview of the central bank.
That same month the government banned 94 lending apps, which included names like BuddyLoan, CashTM, Indiabulls Home Loans, PayMe, Faircent, and RupeeRedee. These apps had been flagged by the RBI for various reasons, and many of them had either Chinese investors or had been involved in harassing borrowers.
The suspension comes days after a new president replaced the old head who was charged with sexually harassing wrestlers.
India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has suspended the newly-elected governing body of the scandal-hit wrestling federation, accusing it of ignoring rules by hastily announcing championships.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has “been instructed to suspend all its activities until further orders”, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
Following the suspension, the ministry asked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to create a temporary panel to govern the WFI, Indian media reports said.
“Taking note of the compelling current situation arising out of the influence and control of the WFI’s former office bearers, serious concerns have arisen about the governance and integrity of the WFI,” said the letter, according to the reports.
The suspension of WFI’s governing body comes days after Sanjay Singh was elected to replace his close ally Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a parliamentarian charged with sexually harassing women wrestlers.
Many of India’s top wrestlers had led a noisy sit-in protest in New Delhi earlier this year, demanding Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s removal after the allegations came to light in January.
The accused 66-year-old member of parliament from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) denied all charges and claimed he was the victim of a conspiracy to force him out of parliament.
A criminal case against him is ongoing and could see him sentenced to five years in prison if found guilty.
Wrestling is hugely popular in rural northern India, and star athletes saw a wellspring of public support.
Earlier this week, top female wrestler Sakshi Malik, also one of the accusers in the case against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, addressed an emotional news conference, announcing her decision to quit the sport over Sanjay Singh’s election.
On Friday, Bajrang Punia, the first Indian wrestler to win four world championship medals, announced he will return his Padma Shri – India’s fourth highest civilian award – in protest over the election.
The new president defeated Anita Sheoran, who won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and supported the campaign by athletes against his predecessor. She is also a witness in the case.
The WFI election was supposed to have ended the federation’s suspension by United World Wrestling, the international governing body, but that is now unlikely with the government’s order.
Sanjay Singh won the ballot on Thursday, and shortly after, he met with the former head before announcing that the national junior wrestling championships would be held before the end of the year.
“The actions smack of complete arbitrariness on the part of the new president,” the statement by the Sports Ministry said, adding that the new board “appears to be in complete control of former office bearers”.
Ten of the passengers apply for French asylum, as judges probe whether a criminal group is linked to trafficking.
Hundreds of Indian nationals sequestered in a French airport are being questioned by authorities over concerns they could be victims of human trafficking.
Four French judges are rushing to speak to the group of over 300 Indians who have been grounded at the Vatry airport, 150km (93 miles) east of Paris, since Thursday.
Their charter plane, destined for the Central American nation of Nicaragua, was stopped at Vatry airport where it had landed to refuel after authorities received an anonymous tip that trafficking victims may be aboard. It had taken off from the United Arab Emirates’ Fujairah airport and was run by the Romania-based Legend Airlines.
‘Situation is urgent’
The sequestered passengers are to appear on Sunday before French judges, who will decide whether to keep them in the airport longer or send them on their way, according to the administration for the Marne region.
“I don’t know if this has ever been done before in France,” Francois Procureur, lawyer and head of the Chalons-en-Champagne Bar Association, told local media on Saturday. The situation is urgent because “we cannot keep foreigners in a waiting area for more than 96 hours. Beyond that, it is the liberty and custody judge who must rule on their fate,” he said.
If necessary, a specialised judge could prolong the passengers’ detention to eight days, followed by another eight days in exceptional circumstances.
After initially being kept on the airport’s tarmac, passengers were moved into an airport waiting area terminal, where beds were installed for them to sleep in, France’s BFM TV broadcaster reported. Staff were also available to provide medical assistance to those in need, the media reported.
Among the group are many children and 11 unaccompanied minors. Ten of the passengers have requested asylum, news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported, quoting a source close to the case.
Patrick Jaloux, the head of civil protection in the Marne region, said the passengers were understandably “frustrated” after spending three nights in the airport.
The Indian embassy in Paris said on Saturday that it was working for “a rapid resolution of the situation”, posting on X that “consular officials are on site”.
Airline denies trafficking role
Several of the detained travellers are suspected of having a different “role” in the journey than the other passengers.
Two in particular are being looked into as part of a special investigation into suspected human trafficking by a criminal group, said the Paris prosecutor’s office
The 15 crew members of the Legend Airlines charter flight were questioned and released, according to the airline lawyer, who denied the company had any possible role in trafficking.
The airline has “has not committed any infraction”, said lawyer Liliana Bakayoko.
Bakayoko added a “partner” company, which she did not name, was responsible for verifying the identification documents of each passenger.
Nicaragua, where the flight was headed, has been designated by the US government as one of several countries deemed as failing to meet minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking.
Nicaragua has also been used as a base by people fleeing poverty or conflict in the Caribbean as well as far-flung countries in Africa or Asia, because of relaxed or visa-free entry requirements for some countries. From there, the migrants travel north by bus with the help of smugglers.
The influx of Indian migrants through Mexico has increased from fewer than 3,000 in 2022 to more than 11,000 from January to November this year, according to the Mexican immigration agency.
Indian citizens were arrested 41,770 times entering the US illegally from Mexico in the US government’s budget year that ended September 30, more than double from 18,308 the previous year.
The deaths of three Kashmir civilians after they were picked up by the Indian army in the wake of a deadly rebel attack in the disputed Himalayan region have caused anger among people and led to calls for an investigation into alleged custodial killings.
According to the families, the three men – Mohammad Showkat, 22, Safeer Hussain, 45, and Shabir Ahmad, 32 – were detained by the army at the hilly Topa Pir village in Poonch district on Friday morning, a day after suspected rebels ambushed military vehicles and killed four Indian army soldiers near the village.
The families say they were shocked after the police called them on Friday to take back the bodies of their relatives.
“There were torture marks on his body. What kind of justice is this? He died of excessive torture,” Noor Ahmad, brother of Safer Hussain, told Al Jazeera.
Ahmad says the army took his brother Safeer away in front of his wife and parents.
“The government has announced jobs and compensation for us. But we want justice, those who killed these innocent people should be punished. My brother has four children.
“I cannot express in words how much grief we feel, no money in the world can fill that. The government will give us everything but our wounds will not heal,” he said by phone.
“I have served in the Indian army for 32 years, is this what we get in return,” Ahmad, who works with Border Security Forces (BSF) in the northern state of Rajasthan, said in a broken voice.
All three victims belong to a tribal community known as Gujjar, who traditionally lead a pastoral life in the mountain areas of Kashmir.
Activists of right-wing Hindu groups burn portraits of Pakistan’s prime minster Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar during a protest against the killings of Indian army soldiers, in Jammu, Friday [Channi Anand/AP Photo]
‘Investigation under way’
The Indian army on Saturday said an investigation was under way into the incident. It did not give any details about the detention and death.
“Reports have been received regarding three civilian deaths in the area. The matter is under investigation. Indian Army stands committed to extending full support and cooperation in the conduct of investigations,” the Indian army said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Information and Public Relations Department of the regional authority, which is directly run from New Delhi, said that legal action had been initiated in the matter. It, however, did not specify what action was taken and against whom. It also did not make public what were the outcomes of the medical and legal formalities.
“The death of three civilians was reported yesterday in Bafliaz of Poonch district. The medical legal formalities were conducted and legal action in this matter has been initiated by the appropriate authority. The government has announced compensation for each of the deceased. Further, the government has also announced compassionate appointments to the next of kin of each deceased,” it posted on X on Saturday.
The families of the victims have told Al Jazeera that the government’s offer of jobs and compensation points to the potential role of the army in the killing of the three Kashmiri men.
“Had they not died in army custody, the government would not have announced compensation and jobs. They want to cover it up,” another relative of the deceased civilian said on the conditions of anonymity.
Kashmir has been without an elected local government since 2019 when India stripped the Muslim-majority region of its special status and bifurcated the region into two centrally-administered regions – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Since then hundreds of rights activists, politicians and journalists have been detained, many of them freed after months-long incarceration as the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed curbs on free speech, civil liberties and media freedoms.
Earlier this month, India’s Supreme Court upheld the government’s decision to revoke Article 370 of India’s constitution that granted limited autonomy to the region.
India has justified the hardline measures saying it was fighting an armed rebellion backed by its Western neighbour Pakistan – a charge Islamabad has denied, though Pakistan backs Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination. More than 60,000 people have been killed since the armed rebellion erupted in the late 1980s.
India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in its entirety but control only parts of it. They have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region, where anti-India sentiment runs high.
There’s been an uptick in rebel attacks in the southern districts of Poonch and Rajouri this year. At least 34 soldiers have been killed in suspected rebel attacks since 2021.
‘Tortured in custody’
The villagers said that eight civilians were detained for questioning by the army, while three are dead, five are admitted to a hospital in Rajouri where they are being treated for physical injuries.
“The government wants us to compromise but we will not compromise,” a teenage daughter of one of the injured civilians told Al Jazeera.
“They were given electric shocks and chilli powder was inserted in their private parts, no questions were asked to them” she claimed.
A video of army men sprinkling chilli powder on the private parts of civilians lying on the floor has surfaced on social media. They were identified by the villagers as the men who were detained by the army. Al Jazeera, however, could not independently confirm the veracity of the video.
Al Jazeera reached out to the concerned officials in Jammu, southern Kashmir’s main city, for comment but received no response until the time of publication.
But nearly 200km (120 miles) to the north, the mainstream Kashmiri political parties and their workers staged protests and demanded justice for the victims in the main city of Srinagar.
In 2020, the Indian army extrajudicially killed three civilians from Rajouri. They were portrayed as rebels but investigations revealed that the army was behind the killing.
The Indian army’s internal court admitted wrongdoing and sentenced an officer to life imprisonment for the killings. But last month, the military tribunal suspended the officer’s sentence, which shattered hopes of justice for the families.
Widespread impunity
Indian armed forces enjoy widespread impunity in Indian-administered Kashmir under the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), a “counterterror” law.
The AFSPA gives protection to Indian soldiers against human rights violations and makes it mandatory for the state government to seek sanction for prosecution from the federal defence ministry, which data shows has not been granted in any previous cases.
International rights groups have accused the Indian army of human rights abuses in Kashmir and demanded the repeal of AFSPA, but the government justifies it as necessary for fighting armed rebellion.
The tribal community has asked the government tough questions.
“The tribal community has never been involved in any anti-national activity. The government must clarify what happened to these men, is there no law in place?” Guftar Ahmad Choudhary, a tribal activist from Rajouri said.
At least one passenger on a boat carrying 185 refugees has died, with dozens more in ‘critical condition’, warns UNHCR.
Fears are growing for scores of Rohingya refugees believed to be stranded at sea in the Indian Ocean, after a boat they set off in from Bangladesh saw its engine fail.
The group of some 185 Rohingya, mostly women and children, are in desperate need of rescue after falling into distress near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Saturday.
The Rohingya were fleeing overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, where they had taken shelter after escaping their homeland in Myanmar. More than 750,000 Rohingya were forced to flee Myanmar in 2017 after the military launched a crackdown on the Muslim minority, torching their homes and properties. The United States accused the military of committing genocide against the Rohingya people, while a genocide case against Myanmar is under way at the UN’s top court.
The UN agency said at least one of the boat’s passengers had already died, with a dozen more in “critical condition”.
“Many more could die under the watch of numerous coastal states without timely rescue and disembarkation to the nearest place of safety,” the UNHCR warned. “It is really a desperate situation.”
Thousands of the mostly Muslim Rohingya, heavily persecuted in Myanmar, undertake risky sea journeys from their country and refugee camps in Bangladesh every year trying to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.
More than 2,000 Rohingya are believed to have attempted the risky journey to Southeast Asian countries in 2022, according to UNHCR.
Since last year, more than 570 people, including Rohingya refugees, have been reported dead or missing at sea in the region, it said.
When it comes to the people currently adrift, the agency emphasised that “a bigger tragedy is preventable with timely efforts to save lives”.
“This situation once again underlines the importance of all states in the region deploying their full search and rescue capacities to avoid human disasters happening at this scale.”
Cricket’s whirlwind year began as South Africa lit up a home Women’s T20 World Cup with a stunning run to the final, only to come up against the mighty Australians who crushed the home crowd’s hopes and walked away with a record-extending sixth title.
And 2023 ended in a similar manner: India hosted the men’s 50-over World Cup and the home favourites charted a blistering undefeated run to the final at the sport’s biggest stadium in Ahmedabad but were handed a shock six-wicket loss by five-time champions Australia.
Between the two tournaments, plenty of news, action and big results shook the cricket world. Al Jazeera looks at the 10 biggest moments in the sport in 2023:
1. Australia repeat a three-peat of T20 titles
The ninth women’s T20 World Cup opened with Sri Lanka’s thrilling win over hosts South Africa but the Proteas soon bounced back and reached the final after a win over mighty England.
The Australian juggernaut, led by Meg Lanning – powered by Beth Mooney’s 53-ball 74 and their experienced bowling unit’s controlled performance – beat the hosts by 19 runs in a closely-fought final in Cape Town.
Australia won their sixth ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]
2. Women’s Premier League takes off in India
On March 4, India launched its women’s version of a lucrative T20 franchise league amid fanfare. Top players from across the world were pitted against each other in five teams a week after the T20 World Cup.
More than $580m was spent on acquiring the five franchises and broadcasting rights were sold for $117m over a five-year period.
India and Mumbai captain Harmanpreet Kaur lifted the inaugural trophy after her side beat Lanning’s Delhi by seven wickets in the final. The league has been touted as a game-changer in women’s cricket, much like its men’s version, the Indian Premier League.
3. South African legend Shabnim Ismail retires
The fastest woman in cricket called time on her 16-year international career, which began as an amateur player in 2007. Ismail went on to play 241 international matches for South Africa and is their all-time leading wicket-taker in international matches with 317 scalps to her name.
Her 191 one-day international (ODI) wickets are second only to India’s Jhulan Goswami, while her participation in all eight T20 World Cups and four 50-over World Cups is a testament to her legendary status in the game.
Ismail cited a desire to “spend more time with my family, particularly my siblings and parents as they get older” as the deciding factor but said she will continue to play league cricket.
SHABNIM ISMAIL RETIRES 🚨
Legendary fast bowler Shabnim Ismail has announced her retirement from all forms of international cricket for the Proteas Women with immediate effect to focus on her family 🏏
After months-long deliberations and discussions, India refused to play its 2023 Asia Cup matches in host nation Pakistan and more than half of the fixtures were moved to Sri Lanka.
The hotly-anticipated India-Pakistan group A match was washed out by heavy rain in Kandy, prompting fears of a similar scenario in their Super Four clash. With more rain forecast in the capital Colombo, tournament organisers added a reserve day for the marquee fixture, prompting criticism from fans who termed it a financially-motivated decision given the interest in the match. The reserve day did come into play and India walked away with a huge 228-run win. They lifted the trophy a few days later with a 10-wicket win over Sri Lanka.
India vs Pakistan trumped every other match at the Asia Cup [File: Hafsa Adil/Al Jazeera]
5. World Cup opens to empty stadium
The men’s 50-over ICC Cricket World Cup was meant to attract millions of fans in cricket-mad India to the 10 stadiums across the country. However, a glaringly empty Narendra Modi Stadium in the tournament’s opening match at Ahmedabad left fans shocked and set the tone for all matches not involving the host nation.
While all India matches saw fans pack the venues in a sea of blue shirts, others were far from being filled, leaving fans to question ticket sales, tournament scheduling and marketing.
6. Afghanistan go from minnows to contenders
Afghanistan opened their World Cup campaign poorly, with losses at the hands of Bangladesh and India, but picked themselves up to beat England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands to give themselves a shot at a semifinal spot.
Their top-order batters combined their skills with quiet confidence, while the Rashid Khan-led spin bowling sent their opponents reeling. Despite not being able to qualify for the last four, the team left India with their reputation changed from minnows to world beaters.
Afghanistan players applaud fans after beating Pakistan [File: Samuel Rajkumar/Reuters]
7. Cricket gets Olympic nod
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) added cricket, among five sports, to the 2028 Los Angeles Games after a request by the host city in October.
Cricket last appeared at an Olympic Games in 1900. The Los Angeles Games are likely to feature six teams – for both men and women – playing the T20 version of the game.
8. Maxwell magic lights up Mumbai
Australia were staring in the face of defeat against a rising force in the shape of Afghanistan when Glenn Maxwell walked onto the pitch at 91-7 and hobbled off it having won the match for his side.
Maxwell’s 201 runs were littered with fours and sixes hit with minimal foot movement as he struggled with cramps all over his body. Nevertheless, his big-hitting and a 202-run partnership with captain Pat Cummins took them over the line and broke Afghan hearts.
When India began their World Cup campaign, Virat Kohli was on 47 ODI centuries, two behind his idol Sachin Tendulkar’s record. As the tournament progressed and Kohli took up an anchor’s role, it became evident that breaking the record for him was only a matter of time.
Every match brought his fans to the edge of their seats but the former India captain made them wait until his birthday on the day of the semifinal against New Zealand, with Tendulkar in attendance to mount the summit.
Virat Kohli celebrates after reaching his 50th century [File: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters]
10. Australia stun India to lift sixth title
After a stunning 10-match unbeaten run through the group stages and the semifinal, it seemed only a matter of time before India would lift their third World Cup title at home to delight the nearly 100,000 Indian fans in Ahmedabad.
But Australia had other plans in mind when they stepped onto the field at a surprisingly slower pitch at the final’s venue. From stemming the flow of runs to grabbing impossible catches, the five-time champions had India in trouble by dismissing them for 240 runs.
Despite an initial stutter, the experienced Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne took the team in green and gold home with seven overs and six wickets to spare.
The shock and agony on the faces of the Indian players and fans told the story of a scarcely believable ending to what was meant to be the crowning glory for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and company.
Bajrang Punia says he will return state award to protest election of new president backed by predecessor accused of sexual assault.
A top Indian male wrestler says he is returning one of the country’s highest civilian awards in protest against the election of a president to the sport’s ruling body backed by his predecessor, who is accused of sexually harassing female wrestlers.
Bajrang Punia, the first Indian wrestler to win four world championship medals, was awarded the Padma Shri – the fourth highest civilian award – by the Indian president in 2019 for his achievements as an athlete.
On Friday, Punia shared his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X, formerly Twitter, saying he would “not be able to live with the respect bestowed upon him by the government of India at a time when women wrestlers have been insulted”.
His decision to return the award came a day after Sanjay Singh was elected as chair of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). Singh was backed by former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh.
VIDEO | Wrestler @BajrangPunia stopped at Delhi’s Kartavya Path by Delhi Police officials. Earlier today, Punia announced on X that he is returning his Padma Shri award to the PM. pic.twitter.com/cQUg3gpzDK
Brij Bhushan Singh, also a six-time parliamentarian from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has rejected the allegations made against him.
His case is pending trial, BJP officials said. There was no immediate official response from the government to Punia’s letter to Modi.
On Thursday, protesting female wrestlers said they were shocked that a man supported by Brij Bhushan Singh was allowed to lead the WFI.
One top female wrestler, Sakshi Malik, said their protests were being overlooked and announced her retirement from the sport at a news conference in New Delhi.
In January, Punia had joined female wrestlers’ protests against Brij Bhushan Singh, who was charged in June for sexually harassing six female wrestlers.
Brij Bhushan Singh was stripped of administrative powers by the sport ministry and the government pledged to investigate the allegations and protect female athletes.
The United World Wrestling (UWW), the sport’s global governing body, suspended the WFI after the scandal.
The WFI missed the August deadline to appoint a new president, forcing Indian wrestlers to compete as neutral athletes in global events.
Opposition parties have criticised Modi’s government for its response to the allegations, which have attracted global attention due to a series of scandals over the treatment of women in sport.
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