India Rejects US Report on Alleged Rights Abuse as “Poor Understanding

India has expressed its disregard for the report, describing it as biased and reflecting a poor understanding of the country. The Ministry of External Affairs’ spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, made these comments during the weekly media briefing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also denounced the incident mentioned in the report, calling it “shameful” and urging action. The report, released annually by the State Department as mandated by the US Congress, cited a 60-hour search of the BBC’s offices in Delhi and Mumbai on February 14.

It highlighted that the search occurred shortly after the release of a documentary on PM Modi. Tax authorities justified the search based on alleged irregularities in the BBC’s tax payments and ownership structure.

However, the report noted that officials also seized equipment from journalists unrelated to the organization’s financial processes. Additionally, the report raised concerns about the conviction and sentencing of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a case related to defaming the Modi surname, which led to his disqualification from the Lok Sabha.

However, the Supreme Court later stayed his conviction, resulting in his reinstatement. On a positive note, the report mentioned a government-sanctioned march in Srinagar, allowing Shias to observe Muharram.

This marked the first official recognition of the event in Srinagar since its ban in 1989. The government enforced restrictions on the use of slogans or the display of logos of any banned organizations during the procession.