Six US Lawmakers Ask Rubio to Press India on Protest Force, Surveillance Claims

Six Democratic members of the United States Congress have written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asking him to raise with Indian leaders allegations of excessive force during student protests in Delhi and other cities, and of surveillance of demonstrators on American soil, when he visits India next week.

The letter, dated Friday, is signed by Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Ilhan Omar, Jim McGovern, Rashida Tlaib, Eleanor Holmes Norton and Jesus Garcia. Mr. Rubio is scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Mumbai during the visit.

“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,” the lawmakers wrote. They cited protests against a former education minister and continuing demonstrations seeking the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner as examples.

The letter also accused the Indian Embassy in Washington and consulates in other American cities of deploying photographers to monitor people taking part in demonstrations held in support of a political party. Ms. Jayapal separately raised concerns about the Special Intensive Revision of India’s electoral rolls, describing it as a “purge” of voters, and expressed support for that party.

India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, has rejected Ms. Jayapal’s earlier remarks as “unacceptable interference in India’s internal affairs”.

The lawmakers argued that the free exercise of fundamental freedoms and the right to vote are central to the democratic identities of both countries. They asked Mr. Rubio to “use the occasion of your visit to raise these issues of great mutual concern to our two peoples”.

Specifically, they urged him to press New Delhi to order thorough, transparent and independent investigations into alleged human rights violations connected to the policing of protests, and to encourage the release of anyone detained for peacefully exercising the rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

They further asked Washington to examine reports that Indian diplomatic missions had engaged in the surveillance and intimidation of protesters in the United States, and to assess whether India has shown a consistent pattern of such conduct — a finding that would make it ineligible for arms sales under the Arms Export Control Act.

The letter drew criticism from Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a Democratic leader and former adviser to President Joe Biden. Writing on X, he said India is the world’s largest democracy, with its own courts, a free press and more than 900 million voters, and that Congress “has no business lecturing New Delhi on its internal affairs”. He added that such interventions undermine a vital US-India partnership and urged lawmakers to focus on America’s own problems.

The exchange comes at a sensitive moment in bilateral relations. India and the United States have deepened defence, trade and technology ties over the past two decades, and Washington has generally treated New Delhi as a key partner in the Indo-Pacific.

New Delhi has consistently held that developments inside India are matters for its own institutions, including its courts and elected representatives. Members of the US Congress from both parties have in the past raised human rights and civil liberties concerns with visiting Indian officials, and such letters have usually been answered with the same position: that outside commentary on India’s internal affairs is not welcome.

The letter is not binding on the administration, and there is no indication yet that Mr. Rubio intends to act on its requests. Its significance lies in the timing — arriving days before a scheduled meeting with Mr. Jaishankar — and in the fact that it puts competing claims about democratic practice in both countries on the record ahead of the talks.