Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Ukraine has lodged a protest with the Indian govt over the arrest of its six citizens on charges of conspiring to carry out terrorist activities linked to armed-ethnic groups active in the Myanmar border areas. An American national, too, was arrested by NIA. The Ukraine foreign ministry said Kyiv had sought immediate release of its citizens as there was no “proven facts” yet to establish their involvement in illegal activities in either India or Myanmar. A US embassy spokesperson said the mission was aware of the situation but would not comment on cases involving US citizens for privacy reasons. The Indian foreign ministry has not yet commented. tnn According to Ukraine, charges against the accused relate to their unauthorised presence in Mizoram – where entry requires a special permit – as well as their alleged illegal crossing of the state border with Myanmar.“Contradicting long-standing international practices, the embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of India has not received official notification from the authorised authorities of India regarding the detention of Ukrainian citizens. The Ukrainian side insists on immediate and unimpeded consular access to the detainees,” said the Ukraine foreign ministry, adding that proper signage for areas where entry for foreigners is prohibited is often absent, creating a risk of unintentional violations of established rules.Kyiv also accused some India and Russian media outlets of making baseless accusations. “At the same time, certain media reports, particularly in some Indian and Russian outlets, contain distorted interpretations of the facts, are of a manipulative nature, and make baseless accusations,” it said. Kyiv also said details of the case were not being disclosed for the sake of the investigation.
