New Delhi: After UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk on Monday, March 4 expressed concern about “restrictions on civic space” and “hate speech and discrimination against minorities” ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections, India rebuffed the remarks, labelling them as “unwarranted” and urged him not to let “propaganda” cloud his judgment.
“I appreciate the country’s secular and democratic traditions and its great diversity. I am, however, concerned by increasing restrictions on the civic space – with human rights defenders, journalists and perceived critics targeted – as well as by hate speech and discrimination against minorities, especially Muslims,” Turk said on India, while speaking at the 55th session of the Human Rights Council.
Commenting on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the high commissioner underlined that “with an electorate of 960 million people” it will be “unique in scale”. However, Turk also emphasised on the need to have “an open space” and “meaningful participation in elections”.
“It is particularly important in a pre-electoral context to ensure an open space that respects the meaningful participation of everyone,” Turk added.
Further, he welcomed the apex court’s landmark electoral bonds judgment in which the scheme was declared “unconstitutional” and violative of the Right to Information and Article 19(1)(a). “I welcome the Supreme Court’s decision last month on campaign finance schemes, upholding the right to information and transparency,” Turk said.
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Responding to the comments, India’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, ambassador Arindam Bagchi asserted that the high commissioner’s observations were “noted”. “However, his [Turk’s] concerns in this regard are unwarranted and do not reflect the reality of the largest democracy in the world,” Bagchi added.
“In any democracy, argumentation is natural. It is imperative that those in positions of authority do not allow their judgement to be clouded by propaganda,” the ambassador remarked.
He added: “Plurality, diversity, inclusivity and openness are at the core of our democratic polity and our Constitutional values. These are backed by fiercely independent institutions, including a robust judiciary, that aim to protect the rights of all. Our electoral process has been characterised by a high degree of people’s participation and full faith in the electoral mandate by all.”
In 2023, India occupied 161st position out of 180 countries in terms of press freedom, ranked by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in its 21st edition of the World Press Freedom Index. As per Washington-based India Hate Lab (IHL), anti-Muslim hate speech in India rose by 62% in the second half of 2023 compared to the first six months of the year.
