NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs on Thursday outrightly rejected a human rights report released by the United States, terming it “imputations, misrepresentations, one-sided projections”. However, it expressed confidence in New Delhi-Washington ties having “weathered several transitions and challenges” as it remains strained due to tariff imposition from Donald Trump.“As we have always maintained, these reports are a mix of imputations, misrepresentations and one-sided projections that demonstrate a poor understanding of India’s democratic framework, pluralistic society and robust institutional mechanisms for protecting human rights. We do not attach any credence to such biased assessments. We remain focused on advancing human rights of our people through inclusive governance and development,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

What US report says

The report titled 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, “government took minimal credible steps or action to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses.”It also mentions terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and northeastern areas. “Terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, northeastern states, and Maoist terrorism-affected areas committed abuses, including killing 20 security personnel and 18 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir as of September 10,” the report said.It also pointed out that “media organizations and individual journalists who expressed views critical of the government were at times subjected to arrest, threats, or intimidation.” “There were also reports of nonstate actors including criminal groups perpetrating killings, violence, and intimidation against journalists critical of the government or for exposing corruption,” the reports said.All these allegations were dismissed by MEA as Jaiswal emphasized that India’s democratic institutions and safeguards were strong and fully capable of upholding human rights.