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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
2 Indians killed, one missing in Niger: What is happening in the West African nation?
Two Indian migrant workers were killed in the West African country of Niger on Tuesday (July 15), and another was abducted after a terror attack on their worksite, officials said. One of those who died was Ganesh Karmali, 39, from Jharkhand's Bokaro district. An activist from Jharkhand who has been working on the repatriation of the bodies told The Indian Express that the other man had been identified only as Krishnan from a southern Indian state. The abducted worker has been identified as Ranjeet Singh, hailing from Jammu and Kashmir. 'The Chief Minister has expressed concern over the abduction of Ranjeet Singh, a resident of Ramban, in Niger. He urges the Hon'ble EAM @DrSJaishankar and #MEAIndia to urgently intervene to secure Ranjeet's safe and swift return,' a post on X by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's Office said on July 20. The Indian Embassy in Niger said the Mission, in the capital city of Niamey, was in touch with local authorities to repatriate the mortal remains and ensure the safe release of the abducted Indian. It also advised all Indians in Niger to maintain vigilance. How many Indians are known to be in the country, and what is the prevailing political situation there? We explain. According to the Union Ministry of External Affairs, around 150 Indians are currently in Niger. They are mostly engaged in the hospitality/service/business sectors. This presents a decline from 2023, when around 250 Indians were in the country. The Associated Press reported that foreigners are increasingly becoming targets of armed groups in Niger. Several have been kidnapped this year, including an Austrian woman who has lived in Niger as an aid worker for more than 20 years, a Swiss woman seized from her home in April and five Indian workers, also in April. In its modern history, Niger received independence from French colonial rule in 1960. For a majority of its post-independence era, it has seen single-party rule, military coups and limited space for the survival of democratic governments. Bazoum Mohamed's 2021 victory in the presidential election marked the country's first transition from one democratically elected president to another. But it was short-lived, and Niger again saw a military coup in 2023 led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani, who was officially sworn in as the president in March this year. He is supposed to serve for a transitional period of five years. Even before the recent political upheaval, the Sahel region (which Niger is a part of) was facing problems like climate change, poverty and terrorism. Lying to the south of the Sahara desert, it stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, including countries such as Nigeria, Senegal and Chad. It is also among the youngest regions of the world, with about 64% of the population under the age of 25. In some cases, the rise of terrorism has been cited in many countries as a justification for coups. Niger's western neighbours, Burkina Faso and Mali, also saw coups in 2022 and 2020, respectively. The AP also cited the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project as noting that June was one of the country's deadliest months on record. Islamic State-backed fighters launched a major offensive across the Tillaberi and Dosso regions, the latter being where Indians were killed. More than 100 civilians were killed in the exchange of fire. What complicates the existing issues is the presence of international actors. In an article for Foreign Policy in 2020, Samuel Ramani, an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, wrote, 'Instead of taking constructive steps to address the array of challenges facing the Sahel, great powers and regional institutions are exacerbating the region's problems.' 'Due to their intense focus on geostrategic competition and willingness to equate authoritarianism with stability, great powers such as France, the United States, Russia, and China, have actually perpetuated conditions, such as corruption and fragile state institutions, that contribute to rising political violence in the Sahel,' he added. One example is the Russian Wagner Group, which has supplied mercenaries to the region. On March 23 last year, Malian and Wagner Group soldiers launched a five-day attack on a border town to 'root out Islamist militants, killing more than three hundred civilians', according to the Council on Foreign Relations. According to a BBC report, the regional bloc ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) also imposed 'crippling sanctions' on Niger after 2023, such as border closures and a no-fly zone for all commercial flights. However, in January, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger formally left the grouping. Historically, India and Niger had limited exchanges in terms of trade, but that has changed in recent years. The volume of trade has grown from around $95 million in 2018-19 to $203 million in 2022-23, and while Indian exports composed a major share seven years ago, of late the balance of trade is in Niger's favour. The main items being exported from Niger to India are Gum Arabic, Resins and other Vegetable saps and extracts, semi-precious stones, Oil seeds (Sesame), misc. grains, goat skins. etc. India has also extended Lines of Credit to Niger, for the construction of infrastructure and community projects. In 2020, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited the country.
Hans India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Nimisha Priya's execution: SC asks Centre to decide on granting travel permission to Yemen for negotiations
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to decide on a representation seeking permission to travel to Yemen for negotiations to stall the execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya. A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a plea filed by 'Save Nimisha Priya Action Council' seeking directions to the Union Ministry of External Affairs to use diplomatic channels to rescue the Indian national from the gallows. Senior advocate R. Basant, representing the petitioner organisation, submitted that though Nimisha Priya's execution, scheduled on July 16, has been temporarily halted, but they would require Centre's permission to travel to Yemen to secure a pardon for the Indian citizen from the family of the victim, Talal Abdo Mahdi, who was allegedly murdered by her in 2017. 'Yemen is a country where not just anybody can go. There is a travel ban unless the government relaxes it. Let 2-3 members of the petitioner organisation and a representative of Kerala Islamic cleric be permitted to go to Yemen,' submitted Basant. While declining to pass any judicial direction to the Centre, the Justice Nath-led Bench asked the petitioner to make a representation to the Union government seeking permission to travel to Yemen. The senior counsel further urged the Union government to include its representative for negotiations with the victim's family by payment of blood money (diya), which is traditionally demanded in the death penalty cases under Islamic law. However, Attorney General of India R. Venkataramani, the highest law officer of the Centre, expressed an inability to make any such commitment. 'We don't want something counter-productive happening. We want this woman to come out safely," the Attorney General said. The matter will be heard next on August 14. Meanwhile, Abdelfattah Mehdi, brother of the deceased, has asserted that there can be no pardon for the crime, reiterating that Nimisha Priya has to be executed. The Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that India has been offering all possible assistance in the case and was in touch with some friendly governments to render all possible support. "This is a very sensitive matter, and the Government of India has been offering all possible assistance in the case. We have provided legal assistance and also appointed a lawyer to assist the family. We have also arranged regular consular visits for the family, and we are in touch with both local authorities and the family members to resolve this issue," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi. The mother of Nimisha Priya, Prema Kumari (57), has been tirelessly campaigning to secure a waiver of the death penalty. She has also travelled to Sanaa to negotiate the payment of blood money to the victim's family. Her efforts have been supported by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a group of NRI social workers based in Yemen.
Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Sri Lankan police delegation visits RRU; visit emphasises India's commitment to develop cooperation, partnerships in security domain
A high-level delegation of 20 senior Sri Lankan police officers visited Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), Gandhinagar, as part of a strategic exposure trip designed to boost regional security cooperation between India and Sri Lanka. The delegation was led by DIG Ajith Rohana and included two female officers. Funded by the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the visit emphasised India's ongoing commitment to develop cooperation and institutional partnerships in the security domain. It also reaffirmed efforts to foster mutual capacity-building among neighbouring nations. Held on July 7 and 8, the visit included comprehensive interactions with university faculty staff on key subjects such as policing, counter-terrorism strategies, cybercrime, prison management, leadership development, and the application of modern policing technologies. Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof (Dr) Kalpesh H Wandra; Registrar Dr Dharmeshkumar Prajapati; Dean Dr Jasbirkaur Thadhani; and Ravish Shah, Director of International Cooperation & Relations, represented the RRU during the sessions. Dr Neerja Gotru, IPS, DGP and Chairman of the Gujarat Police Recruitment Board and Training, shared insights on counter-terrorism strategies and spoke about a joint pilot initiative by the RRU and the Gujarat Police. Defence Attaché of Sri Lanka, Yagama Indika De'Silva, also highlighted the significance of bilateral relations between the two countries. The visit allowed Sri Lankan police officers to understand the RRU's operational framework and its contributions to national security, while also facilitating dialogue and knowledge-sharing between the two neighbours. The delegation is scheduled to visit New Delhi during July 9-11. They will interact with key law enforcement and internal security agencies under the Ministry of Home Affairs, including the CBI, NIA, NSG, BSF, CISF, Delhi Police, and NDRF, for meaningful collaboration and knowledge exchange in various aspects of security and law enforcement. This exposure visit marks a milestone in the security partnership between India and Sri Lanka and reflects their shared goal of promoting peace and security in the South Asian region.
The Hindu
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Centre to file review plea against Madras HC order dispensing with husband's signature in passport form
The Union Ministry of External Affairs has decided to file a review petition seeking a clarification with respect to a recent ruling passed by the Madras High Court that married women need not obtain husband's signature in Form J while applying for passport. Appearing before Justice N. Anand Venkatesh on Wednesday (July 2, 2025), Additional Solicitor General AR.L. Sundaresan said, the passport authorities insist on the husband's signature only to avoid malpractices of obtaining a passport with false details regarding the spouse's name. He said, there was an office memorandum to that effect. 'Sometimes, applicants obtain passports by mentioning a third person's name as their spouse and use the details entered in the passport as evidence elsewhere. That is the reason we want to file a review,' he added. The judge accepted his request and agreed to hear the review petition as and when it gets listed. While allowing a writ petition filed by a woman applicant from Chennai, the judge on June 18, 2025, observed that married women could not be treated as chattels belonging to their husbands. Since the petitioner before the court was facing a divorce case against her husband, the judge had pointed out that it would be next to impossible for her to obtain her husband's signature in Form J. He had also stated that women could not be considered to have lost their individuality after marriage.
The Hindu
21-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
T.N. government sets up helplines for people from State affected by Israel-Iran conflict
In the wake of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday directed the Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of people from Tamil Nadu residing in the affected regions. According to a press release, the Commissionerate has been tasked with collecting details of Tamils living in those countries. Meanwhile, with the assistance of the Union Ministry of External Affairs, Indian nationals residing in Iran have begun returning to the country. Efforts have been intensified to identify those from Tamil Nadu among them and to ensure their safe return to the State. To coordinate these efforts, a round-the-clock control room has been set up at the Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi. The helpline numbers are 011-24193300 (landline) and 92895 16712 (mobile number with WhatsApp), and email contacts are tnhouse@ and procofficetnh@ the release said. Further, a round-the-clock toll-free helpline is operational at the Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils in Chennai. The numbers are 1800 309 3793 (within India) and +91 80690 09901/+91 80690 09900 (missed call service) from abroad. People may also contact nrtchennai@ or nrtchennai@ for assistance, the release added.
