US Human Rights report on India mentions BBC raid, Hardeep Nijjar, Umar Khalid and Rahul Gandhi

The United States of America published the 2023 Human Rights report that highlighted significant abuses in India’s Manipur following the outbreak of ethnic conflict in May 2023. Released by the US State Department, the human Rights report also mentioned the raids by Indian tax authorities on UK based broadcaster BBC and it also mentioned cases of transnational repression like the killing of Khalistani separatists Hardeep Singh Nidjar in Canada. The report also talked about the conviction and sentencing of two years of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by a Gujarat core. US human rights report also finds mention of the killing of mafia Don Artiq Ahmed and his brother in the presence of UP police. USHR report also talks about delay in hearing of Umar Khalid’s bail plea. Khalid was arrested in 2020 under the stringent UABA Act, while India has not yet responded. The External affairs ministry has previously said that search reports by the US were based on misinformation and flawed understanding. Last year, the NEA had said that the report was based on motivated and biased commentary by some U.S. officials on Manipur. The report mentioned that at least 175 persons were killed and more than 60,000 were displaced due to the ongoing conflict. Since May last year, Manipur has been rocked by ethnic violence between the Mehtais, who live in the Imphal Valley, and the Kukizo tribe. On human rights report, a senior US State Department official said that India and the United States regularly consult at the highest levels on democracy and human rights issues. So one more on India a year reports finding significant human rights issues, including credible reports of arbitrary and local killings, including extrajudicial killings. And they attack of the press. And you mentioned that the government took minimum minimal credible steps or action to identify and punish officials who may leave coming who have committed human rights abuses. I’m quoting from your report. So what action of you are taking to make the government accountable as India is your very strategic partner of the United States? What I will say is the US and India regularly consult at the highest levels on democracy and human rights issues. We strongly encourage urge India to uphold its human rights obligations and commitments. We also regularly meet with civil society representatives both in the US and India to hear their perspectives and those in those sorts of perspectives inform the human rights report. And we encourage the Government of India to consult and meet regularly with civil society organizations representing a diversity of people. So there are a number of steps that remains a key component of our, not just our dialogue, but in terms of our, our, our, our engagement with India.