US human rights report ‘deeply biased’: India

New Delhi said yesterday it does not attach any value to a US State Department report critical of human rights in India, and called it deeply biased. The annual human rights assessment released earlier this week found "significant" abuses in India's northeastern Manipur state last year and attacks on minorities, journalists and dissenting voices in the rest of the country. Asked about it, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jasiwal told journalists yesterday that the report "as per our understanding, is deeply biased and reflects a very poor understanding of India." "We attach no value to it and urge you to also do the same," Jaiswal said. Responding to a question about the growing protests on US university campuses against Israel's offensive in Gaza, Jaiswal said that "there has to be the right balance between freedom of expression, sense of responsibility and public safety and order". While India and the US have a tight partnership, and Washington wants New Delhi to be a strategic counterweight to China, the relationship has encountered some minor bumps recently. In March Delhi dismissed US concerns over implementation of a contentious Indian citizenship law, calling them "misplaced".