Six US lawmakers, including Indian-born Pramila Jayapal and Ilhan Omar, have written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to discuss alleged police excesses against protesters in India during his visit. The concerns are related to protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Six United States lawmakers, including Indian-born Pramila Jayapal and Ilhan Omar, have urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to raise with Indian authorities concerns about alleged police excesses against those protesting to demand Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and the suspension of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls. The letter comes ahead of Rubio's visit to Mumbai and Jamnagar between October 19 and October 22, during which he is expected to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on October 20.
In the letter, the lawmakers expressed concern about a ‘pattern of repression, wrongful detention, and excessive use of force’ by authorities in India during nationwide protests to demand Kumar’s resignation. This came against the backdrop of protests since October 2 over concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission and its handling of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls.
On October 10, around 7,000 protesters in Delhi were detained and allegedly assaulted for taking part in the demonstrations. The Democratic Party leaders urged Rubio to press the Indian government to investigate the alleged human rights violations during the protests and release any persons detained ‘for peacefully exercising the rights of freedom of expression and assembly’.
The lawmakers also accused the Indian diplomatic missions in the US of surveilling protesters on American soil. ‘Members of US human rights organisations and the Indian diaspora who joined protests in Washington DC, Chicago and San Francisco disclosed that they had been photographed by individuals who identified themselves as having been hired by the Indian embassy and the consulates general’, read their letter.
Source:
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