Ashley Tellis, an Indian-American geopolitical expert, was arrested by the FBI for allegedly unlawfully retaining classified US national defence documents, with over a thousand pages reportedly recovered from his home.
The arrest sparked a sharp political debate in India. The BJP criticised Tellis as part of “anti-India” forces, while opposition figures and analysts questioned the motives
Tellis has worked with multiple US administrations and both Indian political coalitions, but his recent writings and media appearances have often been critical of the Modi government.
The arrest of Ashley Tellis, an Indian-American expert on geopolitics, by the FBI in the United States has sparked a fierce political debate across India. While some pointed out that Tellis had worked with both the Congress-led UPA and the BJP-led NDA, the ruling party alleged that he was part of “anti-India” forces and “celebrated by the Opposition”.
Born and educated in Mumbai, Tellis was detained over the weekend and formally charged on Monday (US time). Known for his sharp analyses and often controversial opinions on India, Tellis has long been a respected yet divisive figure in strategic circles.
According to the US Department of Justice, the 64-year-old is accused of unlawfully retaining national defence information. Authorities allege that he accessed classified documents from both the State Department and the Department of Defence, made copies, and took them home. Investigators reportedly discovered over a thousand pages of top secret and secret material at his residence in Vienna, Virginia.
An FBI affidavit revealed that Tellis had been under surveillance for months, possibly years, and cited meetings he held with officials from the Chinese government.
Writer and economist Sanjeev Sanyal commented on X that “irrespective of what the FBI finds on Tellis, we Indians should recognise that he was not a scholar but a deep state asset”. He added that “the question is which deep state—US or China”. Sanyal is a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC).
Tellis has previously worked with both Republican and Democratic administrations in Washington, including serving under President George W. Bush during the negotiation of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal. However, his recent writings have been perceived as critical of the Indian government.
In his August 2025 article in Foreign Affairs titled India’s Great-Power Delusions, and a May 2023 piece, America’s Bad Bet on India, questioned India’s strategic alignment with the United States, suggesting that New Delhi would not side with Washington against Beijing.
Although Tellis frequently appeared on television panels and podcasts, many critics viewed him as a favourite of the “left-liberal” establishment for repeatedly arguing that “India has lost its primacy”.
“This explains why Ashley Tellis, often cited and celebrated by India’s opposition, spoke so frequently and harshly against us,” BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya posted on X. “The forces working against India are beginning to unravel in ways few could have imagined.”
In another post, Malviya listed journalists who had recently interviewed Tellis, implying his stance was critical of the Modi government.
Former Congressperosn Sanjay Jha criticised the right-wing ecosystem as intellectually shallow and petty, saying they were celebrating the Trump administration’s arrest of Ashley Tellis even before any formal investigation had concluded. He noted that Tellis himself had been critical of Donald Trump in his writings.
Jha also highlighted what he called a double standard, pointing out that the same US Department of Justice had yet to serve summons on Adani. “These people are consummate frauds and hypocrites,” he said. “Fascist regimes operate hand in hand; their political business model is identical. The erosion of democracy in both the United States and India is now visible for the world to see.”
Others, however, suggested that the arrest might be politically motivated. Former diplomat and strategic affairs expert KC Singh described Tellis as “an outstanding analyst of diplomacy and defence”, expressing shock over his arrest. “Is this revenge for past criticism of the current rulers, or something more? In today’s US, it could be either,” he remarked.
Some commentators in India have called for a domestic probe into Tellis’s connections. Author and commentator Sandip Ghose questioned whether the Ministry of Home Affairs would investigate Tellis’s interactions in India. “Were there politicians he was advising on behalf of foreign interests? What was his role in the US State Department after 2012? Was he a double agent? Many questions remain unanswered,” he wrote on X.
Tellis’s detention has stunned observers of Indo-US relations and set off a wave of political reactions in India, reflecting the polarised views surrounding his work and affiliations.
