IndiaPosted at: Sep 25 2026 2:18PM


Jairam Ramesh questions VanDyke’s release, seeks answers on US pressure and Myanmar links

New Delhi, Sep 25 (UNI) Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh on Friday questioned the release of US national Matthew Aaron VanDyke, who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in March in connection with an alleged conspiracy involving anti-India insurgent groups, and demanded answers from the government over how foreign nationals accused in the case were granted visas and allowed to travel to Myanmar.
In a post on social media platform X, Ramesh alleged that the Narendra Modi government had yielded to US pressure in the case and asked what India had received in return. “Our #CompromisedPM does it again,” he said, claiming that VanDyke had been released and allowed to return to the United States.
Ramesh said VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals were arrested by the NIA on March 13 over allegations of conspiring to carry out terrorist activities against India. According to the agency's case, the foreign nationals had entered India on tourist visas, allegedly travelled to restricted areas in the Northeast and subsequently crossed into Myanmar, where they were suspected of coming into contact with ethnic armed groups.
The Congress leader referred to the NIA's submissions before the court on March 16, alleging that the agency had accused the group of supporting anti-India insurgent organisations and abetting terrorist activities. Subsequent court proceedings also involved allegations concerning weapons and drone training and activities linked to armed groups operating in Myanmar.
The case took a significant turn in September when the NIA filed a chargesheet invoking provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act but did not include offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). However, the agency and government sources maintained that the investigation under the anti-terror law had not been closed and that a supplementary chargesheet could be filed if further evidence established UAPA offences.
A Delhi court granted VanDyke default bail on September 18, holding that the NIA's chargesheet was “piecemeal” and that the statutory period for completing the investigation had expired while the UAPA probe remained pending. On September 24, the court allowed VanDyke and the six Ukrainian nationals to return to their respective countries after releasing their passports and considering their applications to leave India.
Ramesh also referred to reports that US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor had raised VanDyke's case with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to India in May. VanDyke's family had earlier sought US diplomatic intervention for his release, expressing a desire to have him brought back to the United States.
“Obviously, US pressure determined this outcome, but what did India get in return?” Ramesh asked, questioning whether the government's handling of the case had been influenced by diplomatic pressure from Washington.
He also demanded an explanation for how the foreign nationals had obtained Indian visas and allegedly travelled through the country to Myanmar despite the sensitive nature of the regions involved.
“More fundamentally, how were these suspicious foreign individuals given visas and allowed to travel through India to Myanmar in the first place? The HM must answer this,” Ramesh said, referring to union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Congress leader further accused the Modi government of failing to safeguard India's elections, institutions and national security, placing the VanDyke case within a broader political debate over the government's handling of national security and diplomatic relations.
The NIA case has attracted scrutiny over the alleged activities of the foreign nationals, the circumstances surrounding their entry into India, and the progress of the investigation. The agency's position, however, has been that the omission of UAPA offences from the September charge sheet did not necessarily mean that the investigation under the anti-terror law had been concluded.
The court's decision to allow the accused to leave India followed the grant of default bail to VanDyke and the subsequent release of the group's passports. Ramesh's remarks have added a political dimension to the case, with the Congress seeking answers from the government on the alleged security lapses, the investigation and the circumstances surrounding the accused nationals' departure from India.
UNI SKA RSA
Tags: #Jairam Ramesh questions VanDyke’s release# seeks answers on US pressure and Myanmar links
More News

ESI provisions extended to entire areas of 31 Gujarat districts from Oct 1

26 Sep 2026 | 10:52 PM

New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) The Centre has notified October 1 as the date from which Employees’ State Insurance-related contribution and benefit provisions will take effect in the entire areas of 15 previously non-implemented and 16 partially implemented districts of Gujarat, according to a Labour Ministry notification.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment, through notification S.O. 5310(E) dated September 25, said contributions from employers and employees of establishments in the specified areas will become payable under Section 29 of the Code on Social Security, 2020 from October 1.

see more..

Real strength of India-Chile relations lies in friendship between people of 2 countries: Vijender Gupta

26 Sep 2026 | 10:46 PM

New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) Delhi Legislative Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta today addressed members of the Indian community in Santiago, Chile, and highlighted the deep cultural, democratic and people-to-people bonds between the two countries.

see more..

Railways eyes smart waste-compactor bins at busy stations to curb overflowing litter

26 Sep 2026 | 10:43 PM

New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) The Railway Board has asked all zonal railways to consider deploying waste-compactor smart bins at high-footfall railway stations on an experimental basis, seeking a technology-driven solution to overflowing conventional bins and the resulting litter at busy stations. .

see more..

Khera steps up attack on ECI, questions Form 6, ECINet & Goa voter exclusions

26 Sep 2026 | 8:53 PM

New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday stepped up his attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), describing its latest press note on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as “too lame, too little, too late” and alleging that it had failed to answer key questions arising from recent media reports on changes to Form 6, the functioning of ECINet and the exclusion of voters in Goa.

see more..

East Delhi firing: Three held, firearms recovered

26 Sep 2026 | 8:43 PM

New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) The Delhi Police apprehended three persons allegedly involved in a case of firing, within 12 hours after filing the case, and also recovered firearms in this connection. .

see more..