Amid heightened tensions with Pakistan, Indian authorities have arrested a paramilitary officer accused of passing sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence agencies. The arrest comes in the wake of a recent military confrontation between the two countries.
According to India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer Moti Ram Jat was taken into custody in Delhi for allegedly sharing classified national security information with Pakistani operatives since 2023. He has been remanded into custody until June 6 as investigations continue.
This arrest follows a broader crackdown by Indian authorities on individuals suspected of links to Pakistan or for voicing dissent during the recent escalation. Last week, 10 people, including a travel vlogger and a university professor, were arrested across Haryana, Punjab, and Delhi.
These developments come after a sharp military standoff earlier this month. India had launched airstrikes on Pakistan, claiming without evidence that Islamabad was behind a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam on the night of May 6–7. The strikes reportedly caused civilian casualties. In retaliation, Pakistan downed five Indian fighter jets and engaged in tit-for-tat attacks on airbases. The situation de-escalated only after U.S. intervention led to a ceasefire agreement on May 10.
Among the recent arrests, prominent academic Dr. Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a political science professor at Ashoka University in Haryana, was detained in Delhi for allegedly making remarks against the Indian army’s military operation, dubbed “Operation Sindoor”. The complaint was filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s youth wing official in Sonepat, Haryana. He faces charges related to inciting rebellion, disrupting communal harmony, and insulting religious sentiments.
In parallel, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) reported a surge in anti-Muslim incidents in India from April 27 to May 8. During this period, 184 incidents were recorded, including 84 cases of hate speech, 42 harassment incidents, 39 physical assaults, and 19 acts of vandalism—many allegedly triggered by the Pahalgam incident. Most of these occurred in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra.
