India Rejects US Report Alleging Human Rights Abuse

Facts

• India on Thursday termed 'deeply biased' a recent US government human rights report highlighting 'significant' abuses, adding that it attached 'no value to it.'¹
• Criticizing the US State Department's '2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: India,' New Delhi said it reflected 'a very poor understanding' of the country.²
• India's External Affairs Ministry brushed aside allegations of 'significant human rights abuses' due to the ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities in India's Manipur state.³
• The report, which is released yearly by the US State Department, also mentions searches carried out at the BBC's offices soon after the TV channel showed a documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.⁴
• Robert Gilchrist, senior bureau official at the State Department, followed up on the report saying the US had urged India to uphold its human rights commitments.¹
• In March, New Delhi dismissed US concerns over India's Citizenship Amendment Act, which allegedly targets the Muslim community, as 'misplaced' and 'unwarranted'.⁵

Sources: ¹India Today, ²India News, ³Firstpost, ⁴NDTV.com and ⁵Deccan Herald.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Eurasia Review. India's human rights situation is a matter of deep concern, involving deaths and displacement, extrajudicial killings, disappearances, overcrowded prisons, arbitrary detentions, and delays in legal proceedings. The latest US report also highlights issues like media freedom, internet shutdowns, and government actions against critics. It points to a complex and troubling landscape that warrants attention and action.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Washington Post. Western criticism of India's democracy, including reports on human rights abuses and labeling India as an autocratising country, is misleading, and damaging to diplomatic relations. While concerns exist about democracy's evolution in India, external rebukes often trigger irritations and unite Indians against external criticisms. The Modi government's actions, including lack of Muslim representation and hate speeches, require internal discussions and improvements rather than external judgment and pressure.

Predictions