India, Indonesia Sign Landmark BrahMos Deal; New Delhi to Export Supersonic Missiles
India and Indonesia on Tuesday signed a series of landmark agreements, including the supply of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and Astra air-to-air missile systems, other major defence technology transfers, critical mineral extraction, maritime security, and digital telecom connectivity. The developments came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto held bilateral talks in Jakarta.
Hailing the deals, Modi said, “The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership we forged in 2018 is taking a new flight today. We are taking important steps forward in every sector—development, security, technology, culture, and education… I am confident that a golden chapter of India-Indonesia partnership begins today.”
Under the deal, India will supply Indonesia with two batteries of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles valued at $200 million. A BrahMos battery comprises four launchers and 12 ready-to-fire missiles along with other equipment and vehicles. New Delhi has been in talks with Jakarta over the sale of the missile system under a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya. With this, India now exports the BrahMos missiles to three countries, including the Philippines and Vietnam.
In another development, the story of Sougat Mukherjee, an Indian student in Scotland in the 1990s, has come to light. Mukherjee was wrongly accused and arrested in a 1997 murder case in Glasgow. After decades, the case against him was dropped when another man was arrested for the same murder. However, Mukherjee died in 2023 at age 44, after suffering from alcoholism and depression. His wife Sapna is now preparing to take legal action against authorities in Scotland and India for his “wrongful identification, unlawful arrest, and systematic destruction.”
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has removed four key aides of Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, including Private Secretary Amar Singh on “administrative grounds” and others. The Opposition Congress has questioned the reason behind the move, calling it a shocking step.
