Crew of Iraqi cargo vessel denied entry at Karwar port as per instructions from Centre: Parameshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): The Crew of an Iraqi cargo vessel were denied permission to disembark at Karwar port in Karnataka by the coastal security authorities as per special instructions given by the central government "after the Pakistan incident", Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Friday.
According to a senior port official, permission was not given for the crew of an Iraqi cargo vessel to disembark at Karwar port due to the presence of Pakistan and Syrian nationals among them. They were repatriated, he said on Wednesday.
Reacting to this development, Parameshwara told reporters here, "After this Pakistan incident, special instructions have been given by the Government of India to all the armed forces and the state departments. So, we as a state, have a coastal survey force.... they have stopped (the crew of an Iraqi cargo vessel from disembarking at Karwar port). Naturally, every vessel will be scrutinised before letting it into our water. So they have done a good job. I think whatever the instructions have been given to them, they have done a good job," he told reporters here.
According to senior port officials, the ship, which had departed from Al Zubair, Iraq, was carrying bitumen and docked at Karwar with a crew comprising 15 Indian nationals, one Pakistani, and two Syrians.
Following standard inspection protocols and heightened vigilance, the presence of Pakistani and Syrian nationals aboard the vessel prompted a security response from port authorities and the Coastal Security Police, he said.
Their mobile phones were confiscated through the ship's captain to restrict communication, and they remained confined on board for two days while the cargo was unloaded.
The vessel has since left Indian waters with the individuals on board, as per directives, the port official had said.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
