Bhatkal activists help eight stranded Indians fly back to India after months of struggle
One of the stranded workers belonged to UP CM's Gorakhpur constituency
Dubai, UAE: Community volunteers from Bhatkal have grabbed headlines in UAE after they reached out to eight Indian workers stranded in the UAE for several months to repatriate them to India.
The community volunteers Shirali Muzaffer Shaikh, Afzal SM, Sarfaraz Jukaku, and Hidayath Addoor swung into action when a Khaleej Times reported the plight of the stranded workers on June 16. They collaborated with the Consulate General of India Dubai and arranged for a swift repatriation of the workers.
Muzaffer Shaikh is from the AIM India Forum, a platform that supports stranded Indian nationals. Hidayath Adoor is convenor of the International Kannadiga’s Federation.
Khaleej Times had reported the workers were spotted on a street in Sharjah seeking food, shelter, and assistance. According to the Khaleej Times report, the workers who hailed from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh were duped by an agent who charged them Dh 5,000 promising them jobs in the UAE. One of the stranded workers belonged to UP CM's Gorakhpur constituency.
The stranded workers have been identified as Vijaee N (Parsav, Uttar Pradesh), Ramagya Saini (Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh), Pramod Kumar (Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh), Mohammed Naseem (Bihar), Adya Prasad ( Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh) Sree Chandra (Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh), Raijullah Devan (Bihar), Pradeep Gupta (Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh)
When the workers reached UAE in March, they were left out in the cold, unable to look for new jobs or even return to India as their passports were not with them.
The volunteers reported the issue to the police with the help of authorities at the CGI and arranged the necessary travel documents, immigration clearance, and PCR tests. The ticket fares for the workers were arranged by the Indian consulate.
Hidayath Adoor arranged for the food and shelter for the workers for two months while Muzaffer, Afzal, and Sarfaraz helped them get their white passports.
CGI arranged their travel on July 2 to New Delhi from where they will be taken to their natives.
The workers breathe a sigh of relief when they finally boarded a flight to India on July 2 and expressed their gratitude to the Indian embassy and the social workers who also accompanied them to the airport.
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Aditya Birla Group-led consortium acquires RCB for USD 1.78 billion
Bengaluru (PTI): A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) on Tuesday acquired 100 percent equity stake in IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a whopping USD 1.78 billion (approximately Rs 16,706 crore) from its current owner the United Spirits Limited.
Other parties involved in the group are -- Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE, a firm of which Viral Patel is the CEO, Bolt Ventures, owned by American investor David Blitzer, and media conglomerate Times of India.
“United Spirits Limited, pursuant to the meeting of its Board of Directors, today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements for the sale of the 100 percent equity stake held in its wholly owned subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) to a consortium,” the USL said in a statement.
“The consortium comprises Aditya Birla Group (ABG), The Times of India Group (Times), Bolt Ventures (Bolt), and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE (Blackstone) for a total consideration of INR 166.6 bn in an all cash transaction,” the statement added.
The transaction includes RCB's men’s and women’s (WPL) teams.
“RCSPL owns and operates Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchises that participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL).
“Upon completion of this transaction, the consortium will, through its ownership of RCSPL, acquire the rights to own and operate the IPL and WPL franchise,” said the USL.
The announcement also concluded the strategic review of RCSPL that was initiated by USL on November 5, 2025.
The United Spirits Limited is a subsidiary of UK-Diageo, and they were keen to move away from RCB as the team was not central to their business plans.
Commenting on the transaction, Praveen Someshwar, MD & CEO, USL, said: “This transaction marks an important milestone for USL as we sharpen focus on our core beverage alcohol business to unlock its true potential. RCB has grown into the most prominent and commercially successful franchise in the IPL and WPL.
“We are excited for the future of RCB under the stewardship of the new owner. As Sports enters a new phase of growth in India & globally, we believe this is in the best interest of the franchise and our stakeholders.”
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, said, “Over the past 2 decades, the IPL has morphed to become a global sporting powerhouse that has changed the face of Indian cricket creating enormous value for India.
“RCB, as one of the most compelling franchises in modern sport, offers the Aditya Birla Group a distinctive platform to extend its legacy of institution-building into the arena of global sport.”
As per the sale agreement, Aryaman Vikram Birla, ABG’s director, will be the chairman of RCB while Satyan Gajwani of Times of India will be his deputy.
Aryaman Birla, said: “It is a privilege to come together in this partnership to shape the next phase of growth for RCB. This partnership brings together a deep understanding of sports, media and consumer businesses.
“Together, we will continue to Play Bold -- on the pitch, in the community, and for the fans who make RCB what it is.”
Gajwani, Chairman, Times Internet Limited, said: “RCB is the reigning champion and the most popular brand in the IPL. We will build RCB into a global sporting institution, while remaining rooted in Bengaluru and Karnataka and its incredible fanbase.”
Blitzer hoped to build on RCB’s recent success.
“RCB has a world-class fanbase, and the IPL is one of the great growth stories in global sport. Having invested in clubs and leagues around the world, I believe the opportunity at RCB stands out.
We look forward to working alongside our partners and the BCCI to build on the franchise’s championship success,” he said.
Patel praised the RCB as one of the strongest sporting brands in the world.
“We are excited to invest in RCB, building on Blackstone’s long-standing commitment to India. RCB stands out as one of the most popular sports franchises in the world with a powerful brand, a loyal fan base, and multiple avenues for growth,” he added.
However, formalities such as ratification from the BCCI, IPL Governing Council, its WPL counterpart and the Competition Commission of India are still pending.
Earlier, IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals was acquired by US-based Kal Somani-led consortium for USD 1.63 billion (approx Rs 15,290 crore),
The Somani-led consortium includes Rob Walton from the Walmart family and Hamp family (Ford motor company).
Somani is an Arizona-based tech entrepreneur who has founded IntraEdge (technology services and solutions), Truyo.Ai (data privacy rights and AI governance) and Academian (edtech services).
The other contenders to buy the team, which won the inaugural trophy in 2008, were the Times Internet-led consortium, the Aditya Birla Group and the Mittal family led by ArcelorMittal CEO Aditya Mittal.
