Retired civil servants slam India’s ambivalence on Gaza, urge principled stand against Israeli actions

By A Representative

A collective of 110 retired senior civil servants, diplomats, police officers and other top officials has sharply criticised the Indian government’s stance on the Gaza crisis, calling it weak, ambivalent and out of step with India’s historic foreign policy traditions. Writing under the banner of the Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), the former officials said that India’s approach to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza amounted to a “moral failure” and reflected “a disturbing rightward communal shift in governance and society.”

In their letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, the signatories said India’s foreign policy had moved away from its principled opposition to colonialism, apartheid and occupation, and was now characterised by a selective interpretation of national interest. “This is a far cry from the internationalism of India’s freedom struggle, its firm opposition through the UN, NAM and other platforms to imperial machinations, colonialism and apartheid, and its principled position on the Palestinian cause since its inception,” the letter stated.

The officials acknowledged that India had supported UN resolutions in 2023 and 2024 calling for an end to Israeli occupation and greater humanitarian access to Gaza, but noted that New Delhi had refused to condemn Israel’s “disproportionate carnage” or demand an unconditional ceasefire. They cited in particular India’s abstention in June 2025 on a UN General Assembly resolution that called for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza, the release of all hostages and an end to the use of starvation as a tactic of war. “India was only one of 18 countries to abstain, while 149 countries voted in favour,” the group said, describing the decision as “deeply disconcerting.”

The letter also argued that India’s stance was not just a matter of diplomatic choice but part of a broader shift in domestic politics and public opinion. The group pointed to police crackdowns on small solidarity protests, the violent disruption of a Palestine support event in Delhi allegedly with police backing, and a Bombay High Court ruling dismissing a plea to hold a Gaza rally, as examples of how pro-Palestine sentiment was being suppressed at home. “The ambivalence, and general disregard in India for Palestinian suffering in the face of possible genocide, may well be part of a disturbing rightward communal shift in Indian public opinion, governance and judiciary,” the letter said.

The retired officials expressed particular concern over the government’s satisfaction that 20,000 Indians had secured jobs in Israel since a bilateral agreement in November 2023, filling positions vacated by Palestinians due to the war. They said this economic arrangement stood in stark contrast to India’s earlier solidarity with liberation movements. “India’s closet support for Israel has been exposed,” the letter remarked, adding that such actions amounted to complicity in the dispossession of Palestinians.

The CCG contrasted this approach with India’s historic role in championing anti-colonial struggles, opposing apartheid South Africa and standing firmly for Palestinian statehood. They reminded the government of India’s long record in the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and other international forums where it had consistently called for justice for Palestinians. “We call upon the government of India to reclaim its historic leadership in addressing colonial injustices and consider initiatives to pull Israel back from its genocidal course that may result in one of the blackest chapters in the history of humanity,” the letter urged.

The group of signatories includes prominent former officials such as ex-National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, former Home Secretary G.K. Pillai, former Deputy National Security Adviser Vijaya Latha Reddy, former Planning Commission Secretary N.C. Saxena, and several ex-ambassadors and chief secretaries. Their intervention adds to a chorus of international voices urging stronger action on Gaza, but is particularly significant for its criticism of India’s departure from a foreign policy rooted in universalist values.

Comments

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey* Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

Covishield controversy: How India ignored a warning voice during the pandemic

Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD * It is a matter of pride for us that a person of Indian origin, presently Director of National Institute of Health, USA, is poised to take over one of the most powerful roles in public health. Professor Jay Bhattacharya, an Indian origin physician and a health economist, from Stanford University, USA, will be assuming the appointment of acting head of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. Bhattacharya would be leading two apex institutions in the field of public health which not only shape American health policies but act as bellwether globally.

The 'glass cliff' at Galgotias: How a university’s AI crisis became a gendered blame game

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* “She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information.” These were the words used in the official press release by Galgotias University following the controversy at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The statement came across as defensive, petty, and deeply insensitive.

Growth without justice: The politics of wealth and the economics of hunger

By Vikas Meshram* In modern history, few periods have displayed such a grotesque and contradictory picture of wealth as the present. On one side, a handful of individuals accumulate in a single year more wealth than the annual income of entire nations. On the other, nearly every fourth person in the world goes to bed hungry or half-fed.

Thali, COVID and academic credibility: All about the 2020 'pseudoscientific' Galgotias paper

By Jag Jivan The first page image of the paper "Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis" published in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals and Regulatory Affairs , Vol. 2, Issue 2 (2020), has gone viral on social media in the wake of the controversy surrounding a Chinese robot presented by the Galgotias University as its original product at the just-concluded AI summit in Delhi . The resurfacing of the 2020 publication, authored by Dharmendra Kumar , Galgotias University, has reignited debate over academic standards and scientific credibility.

Conversion laws and national identity: A Jesuit response response to the Hindutva narrative

By Rajiv Shah A recent book, " Luminous Footprints: The Christian Impact on India ", authored by two Jesuit scholars, Dr. Lancy Lobo and Dr. Denzil Fernandes , seeks to counter the current dominant narrative on Indian Christians , which equates evangelisation with conversion, and education, health and the social services provided by Christians as meant to lure -- even force -- vulnerable sections into Christianity.

'Serious violation of international law': US pressure on Mexico to stop oil shipments to Cuba

By Vijay Prashad In January 2026, US President Donald Trump declared Cuba to be an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US security—a designation that allows the United States government to use sweeping economic restrictions traditionally reserved for national security adversaries. The US blockade against Cuba began in the 1960s, right after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 but has tightened over the years. Without any mandate from the United Nations Security Council—which permits sanctions under strict conditions—the United States has operated an illegal, unilateral blockade that tries to force countries from around the world to stop doing basic commerce with Cuba. The new restrictions focus on oil. The United States government has threatened tariffs and sanctions on any country that sells or transports oil to Cuba.

Development at what cost? The budget's blind spot for the environment

By Raj Kumar Sinha* The historical ills in the relationship between capital and the environment have now manifested in areas commonly referred to as the "environmental crisis." This includes global warming, the destruction of the ozone layer, the devastation of tropical forests, mass mortality of fish, species extinction, loss of biodiversity, poison seeping into the atmosphere and food, desertification, shrinking water supplies, lack of clean water, and radioactive pollution.

When a lake becomes real estate: The mismanagement of Hyderabad’s waterbodies

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* Misunderstood, misinterpreted and misguided governance and management of urban lakes in India —illustrated here through Hyderabad —demands urgent attention from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the political establishment, the judiciary, the builder–developer lobby, and most importantly, the citizens of Hyderabad. Fundamental misconceptions about urban lakes have shaped policies and practices that systematically misuse, abuse and ultimately erase them—often in the name of urban development.

Search This Blog