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Six Democratic lawmakers urged Marco Rubio to raise protest policing concerns during his India visit. Their letter also seeks scrutiny of alleged diplomatic surveillance and possible arms-sale implications.
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Washington,Oct 17, 2026 08:24 IST
Six US Democratic lawmakers, including Pramila Jayapal and Ilhan Omar, have urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to raise concerns over the alleged excessive use of force during student protests in Delhi and other parts of India, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
The lawmakers made the appeal ahead of Rubio's visit to India next week, during which he is scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Mumbai. They also accused the Indian Embassy in Washington and consulates in other US cities of deploying photographers to monitor protesters demonstrating in support of the Cockroach Janata Party.
In a letter to Rubio on Friday, Jayapal, Omar, Jim McGovern, Rashida Tlaib, Eleanor Holmes Norton and Jesus Garcia said: "We write with concern regarding a pattern of repression, wrongful detention, and excessive use of force by security forces during student protests in Delhi and other localities across India."
According to PTI, the lawmakers cited CJP protests against then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the ongoing demonstrations seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as examples of the alleged use of excessive force against protesters.
Referring to the Special Intensive Revision, Jayapal expressed concern over what she called the "purge" of 130 million voters from India's draft electoral rolls and extended support to the Cockroach Janata Party.
India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, had criticised Jayapal's remarks and described them as "unacceptable interference in India's internal affairs".
"The free exercise of fundamental freedoms and the right to vote is core to the democratic identities of both the United States and India," the lawmakers said. "We ask that you use the occasion of your visit to raise these issues of great mutual concern to our two peoples."
Democratic leader and former White House adviser Ajay Jain Bhutoria criticised Jayapal over the letter to Rubio. "India is the world's largest democracy with its own courts, free press and 900M+ voters. Congress has no business lecturing New Delhi on its internal affairs and undermines a vital US-India partnership. Focus on US problems," Bhutoria, who served as an adviser to former president Joe Biden, said on X.
The lawmakers urged Rubio to press the Indian government to initiate thorough, transparent and independent investigations into alleged human rights violations linked to the police response to protests, PTI reported.
They also asked him to encourage the release of individuals allegedly detained in violation of Indian and international law for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
The lawmakers further called for an investigation into reports that Indian diplomatic missions had engaged in the surveillance and intimidation of protesters in the United States. They asked the US government to assess whether India had engaged in a consistent pattern of intimidation or harassment against people in the country and was therefore ineligible for arms sales under the Arms Export Control Act.
The letter asks Rubio to raise the lawmakers' concerns over the treatment of protesters in India, investigate allegations involving Indian diplomatic missions in the US and examine their possible implications for arms sales during his forthcoming visit.
With PTI Inputs
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