World

Iran celebrates 45th anniversary of Islamic Republic’s establishment

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Iran celebrated the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the Islamic Republic on Sunday, with different governmental bodies renewing their pledge to protect the country’s national interests and strive to achieve the Islamic Revolution of 1979’s ideals.

The Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday on the occasion of the Islamic Republic Day, which marks the holding of a 1979 historic referendum, in which Iranians voted overwhelmingly in favor of departure from monarchical rule weeks after the collapse of the US-backed Pahlavi regime.

“We renew our pledge to the visionary nation of Iran to safeguard national interests in international arenas with regard to the demands of Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei] and the foreign policy approach of the 13th administration in developing fair and balanced relations with various countries across the world,” the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry praised the two-day referendum on March 30-31, 1979 as a “unique epic” in the history of Iran and described the Islamic Republic as a role model in religion-based democracy.

The statement also extolled the valor and sacrifices of the honorable people of Iran in their years-long fight against the infamous Pahlavi regime.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Sunday that it is ready to play a role with other military, security and intelligence bodies to protect the country’s national interests, security, and independence, as well as the Islamic Revolution’s accomplishments.

It argued that the Islamic Republic has presented a new model of statecraft to the world that relies on Islam and democracy.

The IRGC will foil the enemy’s plots aimed at sowing discord in the Iranian society by tapping into national capacities and capabilities, it added.

The Defense Ministry also issued a statement on the occasion, saying it strives to make the Islamic Republic more powerful.

It said most of the world’s scholars acknowledge the end of imperialistic unilateralism as well as the manifestation of a new power in the heart of the Muslim world.

This picture shows the front page of a leading Iranian daily newspaper that quotes the late Imam Khomeini as officially announcing the establishment of the Islamic Republic after a landmark two-day referendum on March 30-31, 1979.

More than 98.2 percent of eligible Iranians voted “yes” for the establishment of an Islamic Republic across the country in the 1979 landmark referendum.

The vote, which was held less than two months after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, is considered a turning point in the modern history of Iran.

The Islamic Republic was established in Iran in line with the popular motto of the 1979 Islamic Revolution that called for “Independence, Freedom and the Islamic Republic” for the country.

Since then, the nation annually celebrates Farvardin 12 on the Iranian calendar as the Islamic Republic Day.

The Islamic Revolution, led by the late Imam Khomeini, culminated in the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and put an end to 2,500 years of monarchical rule in Iran.

Middle East

Over 400 Palestinians killed in al-Shifa Hospital siege

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Gaza’s media office announced in a statement that Israeli forces have perpetrated various crimes during the ongoing attack on the hospital, the largest medical facility in the territory that houses thousands of patients and displaced people. The troops have targeted, destroyed and set fire to 1,050 houses.

The statement added that the fatalities include patients, war-displaced and healthcare staff, noting that hundreds more have been arrested and subjected to torture.

Gaza’s media office went on to lambaste the silence of the international community on such atrocities, condemning the US administration and certain world countries’ complicity with the Israeli regime in the bloody military campaign against the besieged coastal sliver.

Medical staff in other hospitals in the war-torn Gaza Strip are also contending with Israeli brutalities as the war rages on.

Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalia in northern Gaza, stated that medical staff at the facility are working under deplorable conditions.

On March 18, heavily armed Israeli forces stormed the al-Shifa Hospital using tanks and drones, firing at people inside the complex.

The Israeli military claimed that the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement is using the facility to “conduct and promote terrorist activity.” Later that day, Israel said that “terrorist forces” were firing at Israeli troops.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said at the time that about 3,000 people were inside the medical complex seeking refuge and that those attempting to leave were being targeted by snipers and fire from helicopters.

The deadly raid has been going on for nearly two weeks now, with the occupation troops laying siege on the hospital and targeting those trying to flee.

Meanwhile, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that Israeli forces had killed 26 members of its team since the start of the war on Gaza.

The group said some 15 of its staff were killed “while performing their humanitarian duties and wearing the protected Red Crescent emblem.”

Israel has been targeting hospitals in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of its war on Gaza in early October last year, claiming Hamas uses them as command centers. Hamas officials have rejected such claims on several occasions.

Israel waged its brutal US-backed war on the Gaza Strip on October 7 after Hamas carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for the regime’s intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

However, more than six months into the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has failed to achieve its objectives of “destroying Hamas” and finding Israeli captives despite killing at least 32,705 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 75,190 others.

SD/PressTV

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IPL 2024 Live: SRH Look To Conquer Ahmedabad On Cummins, Head's Return

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GT vs SRH LIVE Cricket Score, IPL 2024: SRH opted to bat© BCCI/Sportzpics




GT vs SRH IPL 2024 LIVE Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and opted to bat against Gujarat Titans. After a resounding victory against five-time champions Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad reach Ahmedabad hoping to bag their second consecutive win of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign. The Sunrisers broke some of the biggest IPL records as they ripped apart the 5-time champions MI in their last match. Gujarat Titans, who were the finalists last year, also received a beating at the hands of defending champions Chennai Super Kings in their last outing. The match will give SRH skipper Pat Cummins an additional motivation to win since it’s the same venue where he led the Australian ODI team to the World Cup triumph last year (LIVE Scorecard).

LIVE Updates of IPL 2024 12th Match Between Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad, straight from Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad:







  • 15:08 (IST)

    GT vs SRH LIVE: Gujarat Titans playing XI

    Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, David Miller, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Umesh Yadav, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma, Darshan Nalkande.

  • 15:05 (IST)

    GT vs SRH LIVE: SRH opt to bat

    Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins wins the toss and opts to bat against Gujarat Titans. A big choice by the visitors as they have decided to bank on their explosive batting line-up.

  • 14:59 (IST)

    GT vs SRH LIVE: Big injury news!

    Wanindu Hasaranga has been ruled out of this season due to a left heel injury. Bad news for Sunrisers Hyderabad!

  • 14:54 (IST)

    GT vs SRH LIVE: Stat attack

    Since April 2023, Heinrich Klaasen has had a balls-per-six ratio of 6.81, next to Russell’s figure of 5.88. Again, Klaasen takes the award for consistency. In 16 T20s this year, Klaasen has made 599 runs at an average of 46.07 and a strike rate of 210.17, with six fifties. His best score is 85. These runs have come in various T20 leagues this year, including the IPL and second season of SA20, where he smashed 447 runs in 13 matches at an average of 40.63, with four fifties and a strike rate of 207.90.

  • 14:49 (IST)

    GT vs SRH LIVE: Klaasen power

    Heinrich Klaasen has been enjoying a tremendous run of form and it was his power hitting that was instrumental in taking Sunrisers to a mammoth total of 277. Once again, he will be at the forefront and a combined team performance may lead to another huge score.

  • 14:45 (IST)

    GT vs SRH LIVE: Pitch report

    “It’s a warm afternoon here in Ahmedabad. Dimensions – if I am looking to cut/punch through the metres – 66 metres, dab towards third man – that’s 58 metres, pull/hook – 63 metres, scoop – 53 metres and down the ground – that’s 73 metres. On the surface, this looks a very good pitch. Looks like a batting beauty. It’s an absolute road, it looks like a tremendous wicket. There’s quite a nice breeze flowing across the ground, so that might help the players tremendously. It’s going to reach 38 or 40 degrees here. In the day games played here, teams batting first have scored 200, once it was defended and on another occasion it wasn’t. We’ve got Sunrisers Hyderabad up here. Sunrisers are gonna come here and they are gonna look at this wicket and they are going to think, ‘maybe we can get 270 again.’ There’s an even covering of grass, it’s a beautiful, beautiful wicket. In spite of this being a big stadium, plenty of runs here. You can chase down a big score. One thing the groundsman said, it’s black soil, moisture doesn’t stay too long, it’s a good surface to bat.”

  • 14:35 (IST)

    GT vs SRH LIVE: New GT skipper Shubman Gill

    Gujarat Titans might have made a topsy-turvy start to IPL 2024 but their mentor Gary Kirsten backed Shubman Gill, and said the young captain will learn the nuances of making tactical decisions in the fast-paced world of T20 cricket. 

    Titans, the IPL 2022 winner and the current runners-up, are now placed seventh on the table with two points from as many matches after a win over Mumbai Indians and defeat against Chennai Super Kings.

  • 14:28 (IST)

    GT vs SRH LIVE: Gujarat Titans on the back foot

    Gujarat Titans started the campaign well with a win over Mumbai Indians but the loss against Chennai Super Kings have resulted in a lot of questions. The batting performance was not up to the mark and their bowling department still needs some polishing.

  • 14:17 (IST)

    GT vs SRH LIVE: Return of Head and Cummins

    It will be the first time that Travis Head and Pat Cummins will take the field at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad since the World Cup 2023 final. A great memory for the Sunrisers duo but every Indian fan will feel a slight pain thinking about that day.

  • 14:09 (IST)

    GT vs SRH LIVE: Sunrisers on a high

    Sunrisers Hyderabad slumped to a narrow loss against Kolkata Knight Riders in their IPL 2024 opener but the Pat Cummins-led side bounced back massively with a sensational win over Mumbai Indians.

  • 14:04 (IST)

    GT vs SRH LIVE: Hello and welcome

    Hello and welcome to the IPL 2024 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans. Both teams have won one out of their two matches in the competition but SRH have a significantly better Net Run Rate (NRR).

Topics mentioned in this article

Hyderabad

Telangana Government announces holiday on April 1 commemorating Shahadat Hazrat Ali

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Originally scheduled for March 31st, the holiday will now be observed on April 1st.

Published Date – 31 March 2024, 03:12 PM


Telangana Government announces holiday on April 1 commemorating Shahadat Hazrat Ali

Holiday 1

Hyderabad: The Telangana State Government has announced a change in the date of the optional holiday commemorating Shahadat Hazrat Ali. Originally scheduled for March 31st, the holiday will now be observed on April 1st.

In a release from the Shahadat Hazrat Ali (SPL.E) Department, it was stated, “In partial modification of the orders issued in G.O.Rt No 1633, GA (SPL.E) Dept. dated 12.12.2023, notifying the General Holidays and Optional Holidays, Government hereby declares 1.04.2024 as optional holiday on the occasion of Shahadat Hazrat Ali (RA), instead of 31.02.2024, declared earlier.”

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Fake Profiles, Pics: How Indians In Cambodia Were Forced To Scam Indians

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12-Hour Work, No Food, Rest Until Targets Met: 'Cyber Slaves' Detail Ordeal

Those trapped in Cambodia were forced to scam people back home, reports said (Representational)

New Delhi:

At least 5,000 Indians are being reportedly held against their will in Cambodia and are being forced to scam Indians back home online. The sheer scale of the fraud – the Centre pegs the proceeds of crime generated over the past six months at a whopping Rs 500 crore – prompted the two countries to join forces to bring it all down.

“We have seen the media reports on Indian nationals stuck in Cambodia. Our Embassy in Cambodia has been promptly responding to complaints from Indian nationals who were lured with employment opportunities to that country but were forced to undertake illegal cyber work,” the Ministry of External Affairs said, adding that around 250 Indians have been “rescued and repatriated” so far.

According to media reports, those trapped in Cambodia were forced to scam people back home in India and extort money by posing as law enforcement officials and telling the potential victims that suspicious things were found in parcels shipped by them.

The police became aware of this massive scam late last year when a senior central government employee claimed he was defrauded of over Rs 67 lakh and filed a complaint. Odisha’s Rourkela Police busted a cyber-crime syndicate on December 30 and arrested eight people allegedly involved in moving people to Cambodia.

“We arrested eight persons from different parts of the country and have prima facie evidence against multiple people involved in the scam. We issued Look Out Circulars against 16, following which the Bureau of Immigration detained two men – Harish Kurapati and Naga Venkata Sowjanya Kurapati – at the Hyderabad airport after they landed from Cambodia,” an officer said, the Indian Express reported.

The Modus Operandi

Stephen, one of the men rescued from Cambodia, has an ITI degree. When the coronavirus pandemic struck, he did some computer courses, he told The Indian Express, detailing the racket’s modus operandi.

“An agent in Mangaluru offered me a data entry job in Cambodia. There were three of us, including one Babu Rao from Andhra Pradesh. At the immigration, the agent said we were going on a tourist visa, which made me suspicious,” he told Express.

The three were taken to an office in Cambodia where they were interviewed, Stephen said, adding that only two of them could clear it. The boss was Chinese, while a Malaysian helped translate for them, he said.

“They tested our typing speed among other things,” he said. “It was only later that we found out that our job was to look for profiles on Facebook and identify people who can be scammed. The team was Chinese, but a Malaysian translated the instructions to English,” he added.

A Day In The Lives Of Cyber Slaves

Forced to pose as women with fake social media profiles and fake photos, the men were given daily targets, and punishment for not meeting them. This is how the recruits would spend their days in a country they were lured to with the “promise” of a better job.

The “cyber slaves” would go without food and rest if they failed to meet their daily targets, the Express report quoted Stephen as saying.

“We had to create fake social media profiles with pictures of women sourced from different platforms. We were told to be careful while picking the photos,” he said.

“A “South Indian woman” would trap someone in the north to avoid raising any suspicion. We had targets and if we didn’t meet them, we would not get food or be allowed to go to our rooms. Finally, after a month and a half, I contacted my family and with the help of some local politicians, they managed to speak to the Embassy,” he said.

How Were The Indians Scammed

The accused took the men, or the potential scammers, to Cambodia on the pretext of jobs, Rourkela’s police official Upasana Padhi told The Indian Express.

Once there, the men were made to join the companies that indulged in defrauding people, she said. These companies would take away the passports, making it impossible for them to leave, and force them to work 12 hours a day, she added.

“If anyone refused to do what is asked of him, he would be tortured by way of physical assaults, electric shocks, solitary confinement, etc. Many Indians not willing to engage in such scams are trapped there. We are trying to identify, contact, and bring them back through proper channels,” Ms Padhi said.

The scammers would pose as women on dating apps and chat with the potential targets. “After some time, they would convince the target to invest in cryptocurrency trading. Many were duped in India this way,” she said.

According to the Rourkela Police, the agents got the men to join another company that focused on investment scams in October 2023. “This company lured people to invest in fake stocks. They also created a fake online app,” the officer said.

The police have gathered several key pieces of information, including the location of the fraud companies, their operatives, their modus operandi, and their management hierarchy, Ms Padhi said.

They have also identified three high-level operatives of Indian origin and one high-level operative of Nepalese origin. “We intend to arrest key players in this scam with the help of Interpol,” she added.

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President Confers Bharat Ratna On LK Advani With Veep, PM Modi In Attendance

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President Confers Bharat Ratna On LK Advani With Veep, PM Modi In Attendance

The family members of LK Advani were also present at the ceremony

New Delhi:

President Droupadi Murmu conferred Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour, on BJP stalwart and former deputy prime minister L K Advani at his residence here on Sunday.

The ceremony was attended by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and the family members of Mr Advani, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a post on X.

Prime Minister Modi sat next to Mr Advani as the President honoured the veteran leader with Bharat Ratna.

A doyen of Indian politics, Mr Advani has served the nation with unwavering dedication and distinction for over seven decades, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said, adding that as a parliamentarian, his emphasis on dialogue enriched parliamentary traditions.

Whether as home minister or as deputy prime minister, Mr Advani always prioritised national interest above all, earning him respect and admiration from across party lines, it said in a series of posts on X.

“His long and tireless struggle for India’s cultural regeneration culminated in the reconstruction of Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya in 2024,” it said.

Among the handful of post-Independence political leaders who succeeded in reshaping the national agenda and placing it on the path of development, Mr Advani’s accomplishments provide the best articulation of the genius of India and its inclusive traditions, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said and shared pictures of the ceremony on X.

Born in Karachi (now in Pakistan) in 1927, Mr Advani migrated to India in 1947 during Partition.

The 96-year-old BJP stalwart served as deputy prime minister from June 2002 to May 2004 and as Union home minister from October 1999 to May 2004. He was BJP president multiple times — from 1986 to 1990, 1993 to 1998, and 2004 to 2005.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan said that with his vision of cultural nationalism, Mr Advani toiled hard for decades, across the length and breadth of the country and brought about a transformation in the socio-political landscape.

“When Emergency put India’s democracy at risk, the indefatigable crusader in him helped guard it against authoritarian tendencies,” it said in the post.

As the information and broadcasting minister in the Janata Party government (1977-79), Mr Advani was instrumental in the restoration of democracy by dismantling the Emergency’s antidemocratic legal edifice, reads the profile of the veteran leader shared by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

His contribution at the time was as intellectually inspiring, as politically impactful.

A high point in Mr Advani’s political life came when he spearheaded the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in the late 1980s and laid the foundation for the revival of cultural nationalism.

“His struggle culminated in the reconstruction of the magnificent Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya in 2024, thus fulfilling the decades-old aspirations of countless Indians,” it said.

During his tenure as India’s home minister, Mr Advani brought about the most comprehensive reforms in India’s national security system. He took a pro-active and uncompromising approach to counter cross-border terrorism and made sincere as well as consistent efforts to bring peace in Kashmir.

His emphasis on harmonious centre-state relations resulted in the carving out of three new states — Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.

Mr Advani’s eventful political life will be remembered for his determined and diligent pursuit of core enduring ideals such as the defence of democracy, cultural nationalism and clean politics, according to the profile of the veteran leader shared by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

During his fight against Emergency (1975-77), Mr Advani spent 19 months in Bangalore’s central jail.

His book A Prisoner’s Scrap-Book (1977) is praised globally as one of the best works of prison literature, the profile stated, adding that Mr Advani has always set exemplary standards in political ethics.

Regarded as a statesman who combines intellectualism, integrity and mass appeal, Mr Advani has been an avid reader and a prolific writer.

For his exceptional service in public life, Mr Advani was conferred Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second-highest civilian award, in 2015.

This year, the government announced five Bharat Ratna awards — one to Mr Advani and four posthumously to former prime ministers P V Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh, agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan and two-time former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur.

Mr Rao, Mr Singh, Mr Swaminathan and Mr Thakur’s family members received the award from the president on Saturday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India

Netizens slam food delivery platform as girl dies after eating b’day cake ordered online

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The police suspect that the bakery is a cloud kitchen. Additionally, another receipt invoice of Zomato shows billing done from Amritsar, not Patiala.

Published Date – 31 March 2024, 12:58 PM


Netizens slam food delivery platform as girl dies after eating b’day cake ordered online


New Delhi: After a 10-year-old girl reportedly died post eating her birthday cake ordered online in Patiala, netizens slammed online food delivery platforms for poor regulation over Cloud kitchens listed as food-delivering apps.

The police said on Saturday that a case under Sections 273 and 304-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered following a complaint lodged by the girl’s family members, alleging that the girl died after consuming the birthday cake. Other family members also fell ill after consuming the cake.

As per the bill copy of the cake, which was ordered by the deceased girl’s mother Kajal, there is no shop named ‘Cake Kanha’ at the registered address in Patiala.

The police suspect that the bakery is a cloud kitchen. Additionally, another receipt invoice of Zomato shows billing done from Amritsar, not Patiala.

Despite reaching multiple times, Zomato did not comment.

Dr Nandita Iyer, a seasoned food and nutrition columnist, posted on X that Swiggy and Zomato should clearly highlight on each listing whether it is a cloud kitchen so people are aware of it before ordering.

“Such incidents are a harsh reminder that we have no idea what goes into the food we order from these completely unregulated places,” Iyer wrote on the social media platform.

Fitness professional Chirag Barjatya said that food safety is a joke.

“You will be surprised to know that people are running 20 different ‘restaurants’ in 1RK (room kitchen) as cloud kitchens listed over food-delivering apps. You have no idea how many mice and cockroaches were around the food you just ordered. And you have absolutely no idea if the cooked dal or rice you ordered has expired,” Barjatya posted on X.

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"Cross 200-Mark": Mamata Banerjee's Challenge To BJP For 2024 Polls

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'Cross 200-Mark': Mamata Banerjee's Challenge To BJP For 2024 Polls

File photo

Krishananagar:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday mocked the BJP’s target of winning 400-plus seats in the Lok Sabha polls and challenged the saffron camp to win at least 200 constituencies.

Ms Banerjee also asserted that she won’t allow the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act in the state.

She cautioned people that applying for CAA would turn an applicant into a foreigner and urged them not to apply for it.

“The BJP is saying “400 paar”, I challenge them to cross the 200 seats benchmark first. In 2021 assembly polls, they gave a call of 200 plus seats but had to stop at 77,” she said.

“The CAA is a trap to turn legal citizens into foreigners. We would allow neither CAA nor NRC in West Bengal,” she said while addressing her first rally in the election season after her injury earlier this month.

Ms Banerjee, the TMC supremo, slammed the opposition bloc INDIA partners — CPI(M) and Congress — for “joining hands with the BJP” in West Bengal.

“There is no INDIA alliance in West Bengal. The CPI(M) and Congress are working for the BJP in Bengal,” she said while addressing an election rally at Krishnanagar in support of TMC candidate Mahua Moitra.

“Our MP Mahua Moitra was maligned and expelled from the Lok Sabha as she was vocal against the BJP,” she added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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BJP amplifies Katchatheevu Island handover issue in Tamil Nadu ahead of Lok Sabha polls

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The island is located between Neduntheevu in Sri Lanka and Rameswaram in India and has been traditionally used by fishermen of both sides.

Updated On – 31 March 2024, 02:11 PM


BJP amplifies Katchatheevu Island handover issue in Tamil Nadu ahead of Lok Sabha polls


Chennai: The decision of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to hand over the Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka in 1974, is becoming one of the major issues in Tamil Nadu during Lok Sabha elections, with the BJP taking up this in a big way.

The island is located between Neduntheevu in Sri Lanka and Rameswaram in India and has been traditionally used by fishermen of both sides.

Already hundreds of fishermen families of Tamil Nadu are on the streets against the Sri Lankan Navy arresting Tamil fishermen and impounding their costly mechanised fishing boats for reasons like crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and poaching in Sri Lankan waters.

The Katchatheevu Island is culturally important for fishermen of Tamil Nadu and ceding this to Sri Lanka has led to several agitations by Tamil Nadu politicians. The Indo-Sri Lankan agreement allows Indian fishermen to fish around Katchatheevu and dry their nets on the island

Official documents and records on the handover of Katchatheevu island, obtained by TN BJP chief K Annamalai through an RTI application, show how Sri Lanka had acquired the island.

It may be recalled that after Independence, Sri Lanka had denied the Indian Navy from conducting exercises without its permission.

Interestingly, India had in 1974 given up its claim to the island. A note of that time by the Ministry of External Affairs reads, ”The legal aspects of the question are highly complex. The question has been considered in some detail in this ministry. No clear conclusions can be drawn as to the strength of either India’s or Ceylon’s claim on sovereignty.”

“This was against the opinion given by the then Attorney General of India and the best legal brains of the country M.C. Setalvad who stated that even as the matter was not clear or free from difficulty but has added the East India Company had given the zamindari rights to the Raja of Ramanad or Ramanathapuram. This is clear that India has the stronger claim sovereign rights of the island,” the note says.

The learned legal brain has also said that the state of Madras was enjoying the rights continuously and uninterrupted from 1875 to 1948, as per the then note.

According to the document, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Krishna Rao, had in 1960 written that India has a good legal case and could be leveraged for securing fishing rights.

The MEA consultative committee has said that there was a risk involved in giving up the island even though it was an uninhabited island, the document says.

“The opposition had then charged that Indira Gandhi had secretly negotiated with her Sri Lankan counterpart Dudley Senanayake during the Sri Lankan leaders’ visit to India. The opposition had also come out against the Government for not responding to the statements of Ceylonense PM Senanayake in Sri Lankan parliament,” the ministry’s note states.

As per the note, Katchatheevu was even shown on Sri Lankan maps as their land. The then-Indian government however denied that the island has been given away but stated that it was a disputed site.

In 1974, the then foreign secretary Kewal Singh conveyed the decision of India to relinquish its claim of Katchatheevu to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi. The foreign secretary also had conveyed to Karunanidhi that Sri Lanka had taken a very determined position and informed the negotiators that the island was part of Jaffnapatnam in Dutch and British maps.

“This shows how the mighty India had decided or surrendered its right to Sri Lanka thereby leading to a constant issue for Tamil fishermen who has been hounded and arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy,” the ministry’s note says.