No new orders till war stopped, says private firm in Kerala that supplies uniform to Israeli police
Kannur (PTI): A private apparel unit in the district that was in news recently for making uniforms for the Israel police on Friday announced a temporary freeze on new orders from the force in light of the recent bombings of hospitals in Palestine.
Thomas Olickal, who runs the Maryan Apparel Pvt Limited, said the firm has taken a decision not to take any new orders from the Israel police force until the war in Gaza is stopped.
Maryan Apparel Pvt Limited in the district makes the elegant light blue, long-sleeve uniform shirts of the Israel police force.
"We have been making uniforms for the Israel police since 2015. The Hamas attack, killing civilians cannot be accepted. Similarly, the revenge by Israel also cannot be accepted. Denying food and water to over 25 lakh people, bombing hospitals, killing innocent women and children and all cannot be accepted at all. We want the war to end and the peace to prevail," Olickal said in a video message.
He said his firm will honour the existing contracts as per the international agreement but has decided not to accept any new orders until the war ends.
"We request everyone to stop the war. The Israel force will not be short of uniforms because of our decision. But this a moral decision. Bombing of the hospitals cannot be accepted... We have decided not to take further orders temporarily," he added.
A war has broke out between Israel and Palestine after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from the Gaza earlier this month.
Launched at the state-run Kinfra Park here in 2006, the company specialises in the uniforms of army men, police personnel, security officers and health service workers from various countries across the globe.
It also supplies school uniforms, dresses for supermarket staff, doctors' coats, coveralls, corporate wear and so on.
The apparel unit was set up in Kannur with the objective of providing employment to local people who had become jobless due to the decline of the traditional 'beedi' sector there.
Olickal had earlier said the Israel police had approached his company after coming to know they were specialising in uniform making.
The war that began on October 7 has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides.
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Informing Pakistan ahead of Operation Sindoor was a crime: Rahul Gandhi on Jaishankar's 'admission'
New Delhi, May 17 (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit out at the government for "informing" Pakistan about targeting terror infrastructure as part of Operation Sindoor, saying it was a crime and asking who had authorised it.
In a post on X, Gandhi questioned External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar for publicly admitting that the government of India (GOI) had informed Pakistan of the action and asked how many aircraft the Indian Air Force lost as a result.
"Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it. Who authorised it? How many aircraft did our air force lose as a result?" said Gandhi, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha.
He also shared an undated video of Jaishankar saying India had informed Pakistan of the action against terror infrastructure on its soil.
Jaishankar can be heard saying in the video, "At the start of the operation, we had sent a message to Pakistan, saying, 'We are striking at terrorist infrastructure and we are not striking at the military.'"
"So the military has the option of standing out and not interfering in this process. They chose not to take that good advice," the minister can be heard saying in the clip.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB), however, has debunked claims that Jaishankar had said India informed Pakistan ahead of Operation Sindoor. In a post on X, the PIB's Fact Check Unit said the minister had not made any such statement and that he was being misquoted.
Operation Sindoor was the Indian offensive against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 17, 2025
EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it.
1. Who authorised it?
2. How many aircraft did our airforce lose as a result? pic.twitter.com/KmawLLf4yW
