WASHINGTON: A senior US diplomat will travel to India in the coming days and engage with its civil society over free speech and marginalisation of minorities.
The visit comes after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent US visit when he denied that abuse of religious minorities existed in his country.
Uzra Zeya, US undersecretary of state for democracy and human rights, will also meet with Indian government officials to discuss “global challenges, democracy, regional stability, and cooperation on humanitarian relief,” the State Department said in a statement on Friday.
Zeya’s upcoming trip follows a June visit by Modi to the United States, where President Joe Biden rolled the red carpet for him even as activists decried what they saw as a deterioration of human rights in India under Modi’s watch.
Biden and Modi touted deals on defence and commerce aimed at countering China’s global influence.
Biden said he discussed human rights with Modi but he did not publicly criticise Modi, his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or India’s government on the topic.
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