Several Indians, including unaccompanied minors, remain stuck at an airport in France after local authorities yesterday grounded their plane over suspected “human trafficking”. The Nicaragua-bound charter plane from Dubai was carrying 303 people, most of them Indians. It was grounded on Saturday during a technical halt at Vatry airport near Paris.

A French judge, who has the authority to extend the detention of the passengers by eight days, is due to hear the case today.

The French border cops can hold a foreign national for up to four days if they land in the country and are not allowed to travel further. This can be extended for eight days a few times – and up to 26 days in total – in exceptional cases by a judge.

The Indian embassy in France has obtained consular access and are assessing the situation. It said it is working with the French government for the welfare of the Indians stuck at the airport.

Request For Asylum

At least 10 Indian passengers have applied for asylum, reported news agency AFP, adding six minors have also expressed an interest in applying for asylum.

At least 11 unaccompanied minors are on board the plane, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.

The stranded passengers have been provided makeshift beds and access to toilets and showers. They have been given meals and hot drinks at the Vatry airport, an official said.

Vatry in eastern France is about 150 km from Paris and the airport serves mostly budget airlines. The grounded Airbus A340 belongs to a Romanian charter company named Legend Airlines.

The Paris prosecutor said the action came after an anonymous tip-off that some of the passengers on board the plane were “victims of human trafficking”. Two men have been detained and questioned by a specialised unit.

French law provides for a 20-year jail term for human trafficking cases.

A lawyer claiming that she represents the Legend Airlines said the company believed it had done nothing wrong, had committed no offence “and is at the disposal of the French authorities”.

She said the airline will take legal action if charges are filed.

A crude oil tanker bound for India was hit by an attack drone fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, the US military said today. M/V Saibaba, a Gabon-flagged tanker with Indians on board, reported no injuries but sent out a distress call to a US ship in the area, the US Central Command said on X, formerly Twitter.

The attack occurred around 10:30 pm (IST) yesterday, hours after another tanker came under attack off the Indian coast, which the US blamed on Iran.

Two ships had informed an US naval ship patrolling in the Southern Red Sea that they were under attack. One of them, a Norwegian-flagged and owned chemical tanker named M/V Blaamanen reported a near miss of a Houthi drone, the US military said.

A second vessel, the M/V SAIBABA, reported that it was hit by a one-way attack drone with no injuries reported, the US military said, adding that the USS Laboon responded to the distress calls from these attacks.

The US destroyer had shot down four drones originating from Yemen’s Houthi-controlled areas prior to the latest incidents.

The Houthi rebels are backed by Iran, which has been accused in yesterday’s attack on MV Chem Pluto off the Indian coast. They have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, claiming that they are targeting Israeli-linked vessels in solidarity with Gaza.

Saturday’s incidents were the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by the Houthi rebels since October 17, the US military said.

The Japanese-owned MV Chem Pluto, which came under attack yesterday, was targeted by a drone “fired from Iran”, the Pentagon has said. But Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri said the Houthi act on their “own decisions and capabilities.”

There has been a rise in shipping attacks in the Red Sea since the Israel-Hamas war began in October. Major shipping firms have rerouted their cargo vessels around the southern tip of Africa, despite higher fuel costs for longer voyages.

A day after ace wrestler Sakshee Malikkh raised concerns regarding the upcoming junior national competitions, the government has suspended the newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) panel for the “hasty” announcement.

The Sports ministry’s statement also noted that the newly elected body “appears to be (in) complete control of former office bearers in complete disregard to the Sports Code”.

The business of WFI, the ministry said, is being run from the premises controlled by former office bearers. “Which is also alleged premises wherein sexual harassment of the players have been alleged and (at) present the court in hearing the matter,” it added.

The Sports ministry’s strong rebuke comes days after Sanjay Singh, an aide of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, succeeded him in the elections for the country’s top wrestling body.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a six-time BJP MP, had to step aside after the country’s top wrestlers, including Ms Malikkh, accused him of sexually harassing women wrestlers.

The top wrestlers, also including Olympic Games bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat, hit the streets in January to seek action against the BJP MP. They had called off the agitation following assurances from the government. A probe was also launched against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The WFI elections on Thursday saw Sanjay Singh post a thumping victory against Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anita Sheoran, who was backed by the protesting wrestlers.

Despite assurances that close aides and relatives of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will not be allowed to contest the polls, the nomination of Sanjay Singh was cleared.

Expressing disappoint at the election results, Ms Malikkh had announced that she is quitting the sport. During an interaction with the media, the 2016 Olympics bronze medallist put her boots on the table and said they had wanted the wrestling body to get a woman chief. “But that did not happen. We fought, but if the new president is Brij Bhushan’s aide, his business partner, then I quit wrestling,” she had said.

Visuals of her breaking down during the media interaction sparked outrage, with Opposition leaders accusing the government of shielding the ruling party MP despite the serious allegations against him.

The new president Sanjay Singh had said after his victory that he is close to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and trashed the allegations against him. However, he stressed that he is no dummy candidate for the BJP MP and slammed the protesting wrestlers for “politics”.

In a social media post yesterday, Ms Malikkh said she had quit the sport but was worried about junior women wrestlers. “They are calling me up and telling me that the junior nationals on December 28 are being held at Gonda (in Uttar Pradesh). Gonda is a stronghold of Brij Bhushan. Now imagine what kind of atmosphere the junior women wrestlers will be competing in,” she said in a post on X.

The ministry’s note says the new announcement to hold junior national does not give participants “sufficient notice” and was issued “without following the provisions of the constitution of WFI”.

“The decisions made by the newly elected executive body of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) demonstrate a blatant disregard for the established legal and procedural norms, violating both the WFI’s constitutional provisions and the National Sports Development Code,” it said.

The ministry also noted that the international wrestling body was yet to issue a communication lifting the suspension on WFI. The national wrestling body was suspended after its internal polls were delayed due to the sexual harassment row and court cases.