India and the US regularly consult on democracy and human rights issues

A senior official from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, Robert S Gilchrist, said that India and the US regularly consult on democracy and human rights issues at the highest levels. This statement came after the release of the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices by Secretary of State Tony Blinken, which claimed significant human rights abuses in Manipur last year. Gilchrist urged India to uphold its human rights obligations and commitments, meet with civil society organizations, and consult regularly with them.

The report also mentioned the raids by Indian tax authorities on the office of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the conviction and sentencing to two years of prison of Rahul Gandhi, a leader of the opposition Congress party, by a court in Gujarat. The US is imposing visa restrictions on more than a dozen individuals who contributed to human rights abuses by helping develop and sell these tools.

The report also criticized India’s government for delayed action to stop violence and provide humanitarian assistance in Manipur.

The Supreme Court criticized the failure of the Centre and the Manipur government to halt the violence and appointed a police official to investigate incidents of violence against women, as well as a panel of retired senior judges to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance and rebuilding of homes and places of worship.

The report also mentioned that representatives of political parties used disinformation tactics against civil society organizations, religious minorities, such as Sikhs and Muslims, and the political opposition, sometimes depicting them as security threats.

The State Department alleged that the government selectively enforced regulations when news organizations were critical of the government, and there were multiple reports of journalists and human rights activists being investigated in Jammu and Kashmir.