An online controversy erupted on Saturday (20 December 2025) after Kota Neelima, wife of Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, publicly threatened legal action against an independent OSINT researcher who runs the social media handle The Hawk Eye.
The development followed a series of posts by the OSINT researcher alleging the existence of a foreign-funded media influence network linked to the Congress party. In response, Neelima, who had unsuccessfully contested the Telangana Legislative Assembly elections in 2023, accused the researcher of publishing defamatory content and warned of imminent civil and criminal proceedings.
In a post on X, Neelima said she was “shocked” by what she described as a defamatory rant presented as investigative work. She wrote, “I am shocked at this defamatory rant masquerading as investigation in this thread. It is a deliberate lie, published with intent to injure my reputation. Every material assertion is false and malicious. Civil and criminal proceedings are being initiated without delay against the author, publisher, and all who knowingly circulated it and amplified it. Consequences will be pursued to their full extent under law.”
Background to the Allegations
Earlier the same day, The Hawk Eye published a thread alleging links between the Congress party, foreign funding sources, and what was described as a coordinated media narrative network. The thread named Neelima as a central figure, citing her association with PROTO, a Delhi-based organisation.
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT 🚨
Congress. Foreign-Funding. Media. Narrative.
The man character of this story influence the media-narrative in India, controlled by US & Jamaat elements.
At the centre of it – Congress spox Pawan Khera’a wife Neelima Kota.
— The Hawk Eye (@thehawkeyex) December 20, 2025
According to the OSINT researcher, PROTO plays a role in determining which Indian journalists receive foreign funding.
He alleged that PROTO was founded in 2018 by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and functions as a conduit for foreign funds to journalists globally.
The researcher alleged that ICFJ receives funding from Open Society Foundations, linked to George Soros, and from USAID.
He further claimed that the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) also formed part of the funding chain.
According to the researcher, organisations such as the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) receive funding from entities including the Knight Foundation, Luminate, and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
He claimed that NED has been expelled by multiple countries, including Russia and China, for allegedly supporting regime-change operations.
The thread alleged that Neelima played a central role in building what was described as a media ecosystem since 2017 through initiatives such as the Institute of Perception Studies, Rate The Debate, Hakku Initiative, and StudioAdda.
According to the researcher, these platforms hosted between 25 and 30 journalists between 2020 and 2025, many of whom were critical of the BJP. Examples cited included former AAP leader Ashutosh and journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta.
The OSINT researcher further alleged that these platforms influenced the pre-screening and selection of Indian journalists for foreign funding.
Claims Involving PROTO and Islamist Links
The thread claimed that PROTO’s founder, Nasr ul Hadi, oversees journalist selection for South Asia, while his brother Saif ul Hadi is associated with Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and its Vision 2040 initiative. The thread alleged that Saif ul Hadi had participated in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and teaches at the Indian Institute of Islamic Studies, which the researcher said is affiliated with Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.
According to the OSINT researcher, this represented a deliberate “division of roles,” alleging that foreign funding was channelled to selected journalists, while Islamist activism was organised on the ground, with political amplification by the Congress party.
Editorial Agenda and Political Amplification Claims
The thread further alleged that between July 2020 and December 2024, ICFJ-commissioned stories in India focused exclusively on themes such as minority persecution, hate speech, CAA discrimination, bulldozer demolitions, and removal of Muslim religious structures under the Modi government. The researcher claimed that no such stories examined Islamist violence, forced religious conversions, demographic change, or foreign funding of separatist movements.
He also alleged that journalists from organisations such as the BBC, The Wire, and representatives from Common Cause, which previously lost its FCRA licence, were part of the broader network.
The researcher claimed that these narratives were later amplified by the Congress party and cited overseas statements by Rahul Gandhi as part of what he described as a coordinated messaging loop.
The OSINT researcher called for a formal investigation, alleging a conflict of interest arising from Neelima’s association with media-funding platforms while being married to a senior Congress spokesperson.
As of publication, neither the Congress party nor the organisations named in the thread, including PROTO, ICFJ, or GFMD—have issued detailed public responses addressing the specific allegations. Neelima’s statement remains the only formal response, with legal action announced but not yet detailed.
Source: OpIndia & The Hawk Eye
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