The incident highlights the systematic Hindutva campaign doubting the patriotism of Muslims, which many see as a tactic to polarise and distract from the real issues
BENGALURU — Two Hindu men from Uttar Pradesh have been arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan, exposing the fallacy that Muslims are the ones who indulge in espionage activities for Pakistan. Rohit and Santri, both from Sultanpur district, were arrested in the Karnataka city of Udupi for allegedly sharing sensitive information about Indian Navy ships with contacts in Pakistan.
Interestingly, the arrests come after a revelation by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval went viral claiming that more Hindus than Muslims have been recruited by Pakistan’s ISI in India. Doval’s statement, which he initially denied making, has been found to be genuine by Alt News. The video clip of his statement has been traced to a 2014 lecture at the Australia India Institute.
This incident highlights the systematic Hindutva campaign doubting the patriotism of Muslims, which many see as a tactic to polarise and distract from the real issues. The fact that two Hindu men were caught spying for Pakistan underscores the need to look beyond communal stereotypes and focus on the real threats to national security.
In the latest case, the two Hindu accused, Rohit (29) and Santri (37), were taken into custody from a room in Udupi on November 20 and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody, media reports said on Friday.
Udupi Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar said Rohit had previously worked at Kochi Shipyard and moved to Udupi six months ago, while Santri was employed at Kochi Shipyard. Both worked as contractual insulators for Shushma Marine Private Limited, a subcontractor of Cochin Shipyard Limited.
According to the police, Rohit had been illegally sharing classified information about Indian Navy ships via WhatsApp and Facebook for the past 18 months. After moving to Udupi, he allegedly continued sharing details about naval ships being built there, including information obtained from Santri. The two are accused of endangering India’s sovereignty and internal security.
The complaint was lodged by the CEO of Udupi Cochin Shipyard with Malpe police on November 19, leading to the registration of a case under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act. A team led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Harsha Priyamvada and PSI D Anil Kumar carried out the arrests.
SP Shankar stated that Rohit appeared to be the main accused, having allegedly received money multiple times for sharing classified information. The police plan to seek custody of the two on Saturday and are investigating possible links to other individuals. The company that employed them will also be questioned, with national investigation agencies expected to join the probe in the coming days.
