TMC MPs tear papers as IT minister Vaishnaw reads statement in House

Police detain Congress workers during a protest, in Bengaluru, on Thursday. Pic/PTI

TMC MPs on Thursday tore papers and flung them into the air, throwing the Rajya Sabha into bedlam as Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw read a statement on the alleged snooping using an Israeli company spyware Pegasus.

The minister could not complete his statement and instead laid a copy of it on the table of the House. Deputy Chairman Harivansh asked members to desist from unparliamentary behaviour, before adjourning the proceedings of the House for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International on Thursday said it "categorically stands" by the findings of the Pegasus Project and asserted that the data is irrefutably linked to potential targets of Israel-based NSO Group's spyware. The comments came after some media reports quoting a few Israreli journalists said the human rights group has claimed that it never said that the recently leaked phone numbers was specifically a list of numbers targeted by Pegasus spyware.

Amnesty said the "false rumours" being pushed on social media are intended to distract from the widespread unlawful targeting of journalists, activists and others. It added that its statement in Hebrew released in Israel was misinterpreted, according to reports.

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