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MEA strongly rebuffs US State Department's human rights report on India
In a strong rebuttal, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has dismissed the US State Department's '2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: India' as "deeply biased" and lacking a comprehensive understanding of the Indian context. The report, mandated by the US Congress, highlighted alleged "human rights abuses" following the ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur last year.
During the MEA's weekly briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal expressed the Indian government's firm stance, urging others to disregard the report's findings. "This report is deeply biased and reflects a poor understanding of India. We attach no value to it and urge you to do the same," Jaiswal stated.
The report also noted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's condemnation of the Manipur incident as "shameful," highlighting the government's response to the situation.
On the issue of campus protests in the United States, particularly those at Columbia University over Israel's military actions in Gaza, Jaiswal emphasized the need for a delicate balance between freedom of expression and a sense of responsibility. "In every democracy, there has to be the right balance between freedom of expression, sense of responsibility, and public safety and order," he asserted.
Jaiswal further stressed the importance of democracies respecting each other's internal affairs, stating, "Democracies, in particular, should display this understanding in regard to other fellow democracies. After all, we are all judged by what we do at home and not what we say abroad."
Addressing the case of designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Jaiswal disclosed that a high-level committee has been established to investigate information shared by the American authorities. "The high-level committee is looking into several pieces of information that were shared by the American side with us because they also equally impact our national security," he explained.
Additionally, the MEA spokesperson confirmed the well-being of the 15 Indian crew members aboard the ship seized by Iran. "One girl who was there has returned. We had asked for consular access for these 16 people and we received that, and our officers met them," Jaiswal assured.
The MEA's strong response underscores the Indian government's commitment to defending its position on sensitive issues and its unwillingness to accept what it perceives as biased and ill-informed assessments from external sources.