MEA Dismisses US Human Rights Report On Manipur As 'Biased And Misinformed'

The report released by the US State Department, which highlighted "significant" abuses in Manipur following ethnic conflict in May 2023, was rejected by India on Thursday. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the report is deeply biased and reflects a poor understanding of India.

At the weekly briefing of the Ministry of External Affairs, it was emphasized by spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal that "no value should be attached to it and urged others to do the same."

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MEA Dismisses US Human Rights Report

In the report released by the US State Department, it was mentioned that ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur resulted in what was described as "significant human rights abuses."

The report also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's condemnation of the incident as "shameful" and his call for action on the case. It was noted in the report that in Manipur, over 175 lives were lost, and more than 60,000 people were forced to leave their homes due to the ongoing conflict. "Activists and journalists reported armed conflict, rapes, and assaults, along with the destruction of homes, businesses, and places of worship," as reported by ANI.

Additionally, the report highlighted that the Indian government's response had been criticized for its "ineffectiveness," with the Supreme Court pointing out the failure to halt the violence. The report also mentioned raids by tax authorities on the UK-based broadcaster BBC and cases of transnational repression like the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

Although India has not yet responded, the External Affairs Ministry has previously stated that such reports by the US are based on "misinformation and flawed understanding." Last year, the MEA stated that the report was based on "motivated and biased commentary by some US officials, " as reported.

Jaiswal also addressed the issue of designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and mentioned that a high-level committee has been set up to look into various aspects of the case.

Regarding the health of the 15 Indian crew members aboard the ship seized by Iran, Jaiswal confirmed that they are in good health. "One girl who was there has returned. We had asked for consular access for these 16 people and we received that, and our officers met them," he said.

The report also mentioned the 60-hour search of the BBC's Delhi and Mumbai offices on February 14, noting that it occurred shortly after the release of a documentary on PM Modi by the broadcaster. The report indicated that while tax authorities cited irregularities in the BBC's tax payments and ownership structure as reasons for the search, officials also seized equipment from journalists not involved in the organization's financial processes.

The US report highlighted that "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 further stated.