Houses erupt over snooping, government denies any surveillance
Published : Jul 20, 2021, 7:03 am IST
Updated : Jul 20, 2021, 7:03 am IST
Opposition parties did not accept the response and have demanded an independent investigation into the allegations of snooping
Parliamentarians in the Rajya Sabha, on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Monday, July 19, 2021. (RSTV/PTI Photo)
New Delhi: The Monsoon Session of Parliament made a turbulent start on Monday as the Opposition parties questioned the government over the alleged snooping of politicians, journalists, activists, businesspeople and others, including a top virologist, using private Israeli spyware. Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day even though the government dismissed the charges of surveillance.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday dismissed an investigation pointing to the use of the Pegasus hacking software to spy on journalists, activists and Opposition leaders in India, calling it “a report by the disrupters for the obstructers”.
Pegasus is developed, marketed and licensed to governments around the world by the Israeli company NSO Group. The company says that it licenses its
software only to “vetted governments” and that Pegasus is meant to be targeted at criminals.
But, a leaked list, featuring more than 50,000 phone numbers “concentrated in countries known to engage in surveillance of their citizens”, was accessed by Paris-based media nonprofit Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International, which shared it with 17 news organisations as part of the Pegasus Project.
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Pegasus: Opposition demands probe into snooping row, Shah sacking; UN says issue extremely alarming
The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, said Shah should immediately resign as he does not deserve to occupy the position he is holding.
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NEW DELHI: Accusing the government of ‘treason’, the opposition parties on Monday demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and a probe into the ‘role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’ in the Pegasus spying row, inviting a sharp rejoinder from the BJP which accused them of orchestrating conspiracies against the government.
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