MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi

Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi was referring to the report released by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday that had a long list of significant human rights issues in India.

Calling out the US state department’s report on human rights, the ministry of external affairs on Friday said that there must be a proper understanding of the development in India. The ministry refused to side with it.

“This is clearly an internal exercise of the US government. We are not a party to it. There should be a proper understanding of developments in India,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Bagchi was referring to the report released by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday that had a long list of significant human rights issues in India. It referred to “unlawful and arbitrary killings” by police; torture by some police and prison officials; “arbitrary” arrests and detentions; “harsh and life-threatening” prison conditions; political prisoners or detainees in certain states.

The US report also mentions “restrictions on freedom of expression and the press, including violence, threats of violence, or unjustified arrests or prosecutions against journalists, use of criminal libel laws to prosecute social media speech, censorship, and site blocking”.