India dismissed references to the Prime Minister in newly released Epstein files as baseless, saying the mention goes beyond a factual Israel visit and amounts to “trashy ruminations” by a convicted criminal, unworthy of attention.
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New Delhi: India on Saturday firmly rejected claims emerging from recently released investigative files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that made a reference to the Prime Minister, calling them unfounded and irresponsible speculation.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a clarification after the mention sparked political reactions and social media debate, stressing that the claims carried no credibility beyond known official facts.
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MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government had taken note of reports citing an email from the so-called Epstein files that mentioned the Prime Minister’s official visit to Israel in 2017.
“Beyond the established fact of the Prime Minister’s official visit to Israel in July 2017, the remaining references in the email are nothing more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal and deserve to be dismissed with utmost contempt,” Jaiswal said in a brief statement.
The MEA clarified that the reference does not suggest any wrongdoing and should not be interpreted as factual or credible information.
The government’s response came after Congress leader Pawan Khera raised the issue on social media, describing it as a “national shame” that Epstein had mentioned the Prime Minister in his correspondence. Khera also demanded a formal explanation from the Centre regarding the reference.
His remarks triggered a sharp political exchange, prompting the MEA to address the matter publicly to prevent what it described as misinformation.
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The reference appears in an email Epstein reportedly sent in 2017 to an individual believed to be a senior official in Qatar. Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, was known to exaggerate his connections with powerful individuals.
The email is part of a massive tranche of investigative material comprising approximately 3.5 million pages and around 2,000 videos — released by the US Department of Justice. The disclosure followed a law passed by the US Congress mandating greater transparency in high-profile criminal investigations.
Officials underlined that Epstein’s claims have historically been unreliable and often designed to inflate his own influence. The MEA stressed that drawing conclusions from unverified emails written by a convicted criminal risks distorting facts and undermining diplomatic credibility.
