Reports by various foreign entities often found to be biased: Govt

The government is aware of reports issued from time to time by various foreign entities, including in the US, about the situation of human rights in India, but such reports are often found to be "subjective, misinformed and biased in nature", the Centre informed Parliament on Thursday.

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said this in a written response to a query in Rajya Sabha.

He was asked whether the government is aware of the recent US Congressional Research Service report which "highlights concerns" over India's human rights record, particularly regarding religious freedom and communal violence; and the steps being taken by the government to ensure that India's secular constitution and pluralistic values are upheld, both domestically and internationally.

The government is "aware of reports issued from time to time by various foreign entities, including in the US, about the situation of human rights in India. Such reports are often found to be subjective, misinformed and biased in nature. Government does not take cognisance of internal reports by foreign institutions."  India is a "vibrant democracy" with its Constitution guaranteeing fundamental rights of citizens, and a "robust judiciary and free media" ensuring the exercise of these rights, Singh said.

In a query related to the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the minister said, it is "an organisation with a political agenda and government attaches no credibility to its reports, which misrepresent facts and peddle a motivated narrative about India".

In May, in an unusually sharp reaction to the USCIRF's latest report that has criticised India for alleged violations of religious freedom, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said the organisation is known to be a "biased" entity with a political agenda.

India had blasted the USCIRF for attempting to "interfere" in its electoral exercise and continuing to indulge in "propaganda" against the country, "masquerading" as part of an annual report.