US Congressional Report Highlights Escalating Human Rights Concerns in India under Modi’s Govt.

An independent report from the US Congress has highlighted a significant increase in the scale and severity of human rights violations in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. The report, titled ‘India: Human Rights Assessment’, was published by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), an autonomous research arm of the US Congress. It emphasizes that the reported incidents of abuses have surged particularly since the re-election of Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2019.

The CRS report underscores that concerns regarding human rights abuses in India have been echoed by various international bodies, including the United Nations, as well as numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The CRS report, which spans three pages, is intended to provide members of the US Congress with insights to make informed decisions on relevant issues.

This report follows closely on the heels of the 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices by the US State Department, which also highlighted the prevalence of human rights violations in India. These abuses, as noted in the State Department’s report, range from serious violations to those allegedly committed by governmental bodies at both the state and federal levels or their representatives. Additionally, the release of the CRS report coincides with a wave of critical coverage in American media outlets regarding the human rights situation in India.

The latest CRS report further observes that the 2023 Human Rights Report includes a new section on India’s “transnational repression against individuals in another country.” This section draws attention to instances where the Indian government is accused of engaging in transnational repression against journalists, members of diaspora communities, civil society activists, and human rights defenders.

To conclude, the CRS report adds to the growing international scrutiny of human rights issues in India, particularly under the current administration. It underscores the need for continued monitoring and action to address these concerns both domestically and on the global stage.