Prominent Indian figures urge Modi govt to halt arms exports to Israel
Twenty-five prominent Indian figures, including former Supreme Court and high court judges, economists, activists, and poets, have written to Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, urging him to stop the licensing process that allows exporters to send military arms and ammunition to Israel.
The letter addresses the ongoing Israel’s war on Gaza, where Tel Aviv’s actions have been described as genocidal following, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians.
In their letter, the signatories highlight India’s reported arms exports to Israel amid the Gaza war. They argue that India’s support, through the granting of licences to at least three companies for exporting arms and military equipment to Israel, goes against India’s obligations under international law and the mandates of Articles 21 and 51(c) of the Indian Constitution.
“We are writing to you as concerned citizens, alarmed at the continued grant of export licences and permissions to various Indian companies, for the supply of military arms and munitions to Israel, since the war on Gaza began,” the letter said.
The letter mentions the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that Israel has violated obligations under the Genocide Convention and is illegally occupying Palestinian territory.
“In light of these rulings, any supply of military material to Israel would amount to a violation of India’s obligations under international humanitarian law and the mandate of Article 21 read with Article 51(c) of the Constitution of India. We urge you, therefore, to cancel the concerned export licenses and halt the granting of any new licenses to companies supplying military equipment to Israel,” the letter emphasized.
The signatories include notable personalities such as former SC judges Ruma Pal, B. Sudarshan Reddy, and S.N. Variava; former Madras HC judge K. Chandru; former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah; retired IFS officers Deb Mukherji and Ashok Sharma; retired IAS officers Meena Gupta and EAS Sarma; former Lalit Kala Akademi chairperson Ashok Vajpeyi; author Arundhati Roy; musician T.M. Krishna; CPIM leader Brinda Karat; psephologist Yogendra Yadav; senior advocate Chander Uday Singh; advocates Prashant Bhushan, R. Vaigai, and Mihir Desai; activists Harsh Mander, Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Anjali Bhardwaj, Kavita Srivastava, and Vijayan MJ; and development economist Jean Dreze.
