Photos of Puri & Epstein Surface as Rubio Visits Jamnagar

October

2026

Opposition leaders in India are demanding explanations after photos of Indian Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein began circulating on social media on 21–22 Oct. Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi alleged that the photos had been released a day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s India visit as ‘blackmail’. Gandhi said, ‘Rubio goes to Mumbai. The US DoJ (Department of Justice) releases a picture of Epstein and Puri. Dear BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) workers, which anti-national traitor do you think they're blackmailing?’ The Indian National Congress (INC) alleged that ‘Modi-Shah's complete silence’ points to their ‘criminal indifference’ towards the issue. However, the photos are from dataset 9 released by the DoJ in January that began surfacing recently, although the DoJ had 'redacted, censored, or temporarily/permanently removed' a huge number of these pictures. At least 10 photos taken from various angles show Epstein and Puri seated at a table, seemingly alone, deep in conversation. The photos appear to contradict Puri’s February claim that he met Epstein only as part of a delegation. Puri’s office claimed that the minister could not recall, almost ten years later, which meeting the photograph showed or whether others were present before or after it was taken. Meanwhile, Rubio arrived in Mumbai on 20 Oct, on his second trip to India in 2026, where he met Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and some of India's top business leaders. His official itinerary did not include New Delhi, which raised questions from the opposition. Rubio officially ended his trip in Jamnagar, Gujarat—home to the world's largest oil refinery owned by one of Asia's richest men, Mukesh Ambani. Experts say the Trump administration is under pressure to keep fuel prices in check ahead of November's US midterm elections, while rising tensions in West Asia threaten global energy supplies. India's ability to process large volumes of crude oil offers Washington a potential way to ease pressure on the fuel markets. Rubio had earlier called India a ‘refining superpower’ and said the US wanted Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) to process more Venezuelan oil. RIL was once among the largest buyers of Venezuelan crude before US sanctions disrupted trade. After Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured in a US intervention on 3 Jan and Washington eased sanctions on India's energy sector, RIL has re-emerged as a major importer (earlier coverage).