India has termed the US State Department’s annual human rights report on India “deeply biased” and claimed that it reflected the “poor understanding” of the country.
The report emphasised “significant human rights abuses” in Manipur after the outbreak of ethnic clashes in the northeastern state last year. It also highlighted the alleged attacks on minorities, journalists, and dissenting voices across the country.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, April 25, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said, “This report is deeply biased and reflects a very poor understanding of India. We attach no value to it and urge you to do the same.”
The report, titled ‘2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: India,’ was released on Monday, April 22, and stated that the ethnic conflicts between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur resulted in “significant human rights abuses.”
It also noted that Narendra Modi described the incident as ‘shameful’ and urged action on the case.
The report further spoke about the raids by tax authorities on the office of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and noted that they were executed soon after the release of “India: The Modi Question,” a documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The report said, “Although tax authorities described the search as motivated by irregularities in the BBC’s tax payments and ownership structure, officials also searched and seized equipment from journalists who were not involved in the organization’s financial processes.”
“The government invoked emergency powers to ban the screening of the documentary, forced media companies to remove links to the video, and detained student protesters who organized viewing parties,” it said further.
