The US State Department has released an annual human rights assessment report that has found “significant abuses” in India’s northeast state, Manipur, last year and attacks on minorities, journalists, and dissenting voices in the rest of the country.
More than 60,000 people ended up getting displaced between May and November in Manipur last year, and the report revealed that the rest of the country had multiple instances in which the government and its allies tried to pressure or harass media outlets that were critical of the government.
In Manipur, the Meitei majority and the Kuki-Zo tribes have been engaged in violent clashes since a previous court ruling a year ago that gave the recommendation the Kuki minority privileges to also be granted to Meitei.
The report also gave an example of the Income Tax Department’s searches at BBC offices in 2023 after the company released a documentary critical of PM Narendra Modi. The Government of India said that the search was not vindictive.
Religious minorities in the country have also reported persecution, including calls for violence and dissemination of false information, according to the US assessment. For the first time, Reports without Borders placed India at number 161 out of 180 nations in its 2023 report on press freedom.
Various Human Rights organizations have also alleged that under PM Modi, the situation has actually gotten worse like there has been an increase in hatred speeches; Kashmir, which has the majority of Muslims, lost its special status, a citizenship law that United Nations labeled as “fundamentally discriminatory” and Muslim properties have been demolished in an effort to remove the illegal building.
While the US report covered topics that have recently come up, political observers claim Washington is being cautious in its public criticism of India as it believes the country will serve as a check on China’s aggression.
