Washington DC: Indian IT Firms Face US Blacklist Demand as Hindu Group's Paris Visit Sparks Political Uproar
Washington became a focal point for US-India policy friction this week as a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers formally demanded the Commerce Department cut three Indian technology companies off from American software, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity tools, citing more than fifteen years of alleged targeted espionage against US citizens, businesses, and attorneys. South Asian news also surfaced internationally when the Washington Post covered a political storm breaking in Paris after a Hindu religious group's visit to the Eiffel Tower led managers to direct female staff to retreat out of sight, triggering widespread condemnation, an investigation pledge from Parisian authorities, and a staff strike that temporarily shuttered the iconic landmark before it reopened.
🗳️ Bipartisan US Lawmakers Demand Commerce Department Blacklist Three Indian Hack-for-Hire Firms
A formal letter to the United States Commerce Department, issued on a Wednesday and reported by Reuters on September 10, 2026, called for three Indian IT companies to be placed on the agency's Entity List—a designation that would sever the firms' access to American software, cloud computing infrastructure, and cybersecurity tools. The bipartisan trio behind the letter comprised Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and Republican Representative Pat Harrigan. The lawmakers accused the named companies of engaging in more than fifteen years of targeted espionage directed at US citizens, American businesses, and the attorneys representing those clients. The three companies named in the designation request are BellTroX, CyberRoot, and Sunkissed Organic Farms Pvt. Ltd. The third company was identified in the letter as formerly known as Appin Technology Pvt. Ltd., and its subsidiaries were included within the scope of the proposed designation. Senator Wyden, photographed as recently as July 22, 2026 at a Senate Finance Committee hearing in Washington, DC, serves in a ranking member capacity on that committee, giving him particular standing in technology and trade policy matters. The Commerce Department's Entity List has previously been used to restrict foreign firms deemed to threaten US national security, and inclusion on the list carries sweeping consequences for any company that depends on American technology partnerships, platforms, or vendors. Representatives for Sunkissed Organic Farms, CyberRoot, and the other named parties had not responded to the allegations at the time the Reuters report was filed. [2]
🪔 Paris Erupts After Eiffel Tower Management Ordered Female Staff Out of View for Hindu Group Visit
A September 8, 2026 report by Washington Post journalist Victoria Craw documented a sharp political controversy in France after staff at the Eiffel Tower said managers had instructed female employees to step out of sight during a Hindu religious group's visit to the Paris landmark. French media accounts described the management directive to female workers as prompting swift and widespread political condemnation across France, including from political figures who publicly criticized how the accommodation was handled. Parisian authorities announced they would open a formal investigation into the episode, examining how and by whom the decision was made to direct female workers out of the group's path. The controversy extended beyond the investigative response: Eiffel Tower staff launched a strike over the incident, causing the monument to close temporarily. The landmark had reopened by the Tuesday following the strike, according to the Washington Post's report. The article, filed under the newspaper's World and Europe coverage sections, brought the story to an American and South Asian diaspora readership that closely tracks how Hindu organizations and their activities are received in Western public institutions. The Washington Post's coverage noted that Parisian authorities had promised an investigation and that the staff walkout had disrupted access to the tower during the period of the labor action. The specific Hindu group involved in the visit was not named in the available portion of the report. [1]
Sources: [2] Yahoo · [1] The Washington Post