Deeply biased: India junks US report on Manipur human rights ‘abuse’

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, April 25

India on Thursday rejected as “deeply biased” and of “no value” a US State Department report on alleged human rights violations while also taking a jibe at the ongoing pro-Palestine protests across university campuses in the US. The annual report of the State Department three days ago had highlighted instances of human rights abuses.

At his weekly media briefing here, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “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.”

Asked about the pro-Palestine protests in US universities, Jaiswal said: “In every democracy, there has to be the right balance between freedom of expression, sense of responsibility and public safety and order. 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 see abroad.”

Jaiswal said the ministry was in touch with Indian students and would look into any issues that were needed to be resolved. The protests across universities in the US were triggered by the arrest of student protesters at Columbia University and varsity’s president Nemat Minouche Shafik calling in the New York Police to clear the tents set up by the students who demanded the school to divest itself of Israel relations. The spokesperson’s remarks can be seen as a jibe at the US following comments made by Washington after the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate.

Jaiswal rejected the US human rights report that said “significant human rights abuses” happened in Manipur following the outbreak of ethnic conflict in May 2023. The report also mentioned raids by tax authorities on UK broadcaster BBC and transnational cases such as the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. The report flags “armed conflict, rapes and assaults” in Manipur, and speaks about violence against journalists and unjustified arrests of citizens.

The US report mentions human rights “abuses” committed in regions plagued by terrorism, including Jammu and Kashmir, and areas affected by the Maoist insurgency. On Nijjar, the report says it indicates a “pattern of extrajudicial actions by state agents”. The report does not mention the case of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The US has accused an Indian intelligence official of planning to kill Pannun.

Takes jibe over Gaza protests in US varsities

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• Remarks are being seen as a jibe at the US over its comments following the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate
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Another report flags rise in ‘scale of abuses’

Washington: An independent US Congressional research report has alleged the scope and scale of human rights abuses in India has increased under PM Modi. “The Biden Administration requests $103 mn in foreign assistance to India for FY2025… on improvements in human rights and civil liberties in India,” said a report released by the Congressional Research Service on Wednesday. PTI