Freedom of expression, public safety must be balanced in a democracy: MEA on US universities’ protests

“Democracies in particular should display this understanding in regard to other fellow democracies. After all, we are all judged by what we do at home and not what we say abroad,” he said, at the weekly briefing.

Some of America’s most prestigious universities have been rocked by protests in recent weeks, as students and other agitators have been critical of the Israel-Hamas war and the humanitarian situation in Gaza. There is increased tension at several US campuses after days of pro-Palestinian protests that have triggered mass arrests and shut down classes.

On the US State Department Report on Human Rights, the MEA spokesperson said, “This report is deeply biased and reflects a poor understanding of India. We attach no value to it and urge you to do the same.”

The annual report of the US State Department highlighted instances of human rights abuses in Manipur following the outbreak of ethnic conflict. It also mentioned the raids by Indian tax authorities on an office of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

According to the report, there were several press and civil society reports of representatives of political parties using disinformation tactics against civil society organisations, religious minorities, such as Sikhs and Muslims, and the political opposition, sometimes depicting them as security threats.

This is part of a concerted pushback from New Delhi, as India had summoned a senior US diplomat in New Delhi last month and had strongly objected to the State Department’s remarks on Delhi Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest.