Did Switzerland Get India Wrong On Minorities? Here’s What Happened At The UN

At the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), India firmly rebutted Switzerland following the European country’s complaint regarding the handling of minorities and freedom of expression in India. 

Switzerland says…

At the 60th session of the UNHRC in Geneva, the Indian representative was requested by the representative from Switzerland to “take effective measures to protect minorities and ensure the freedoms of opinion, expression and the media.” At this time, with India being treated as a friend, the representative from Switzerland showed concern regarding the limitation of the press and of the minorities’ rights, using terms that it was a lived experience and something that required immediate action.

In the Indian context, the minorities are primarily framed in terms of religious group, not numbers, as Muslims, Sikhs and Christians share the commonality of being minorities numerically to the majority, or predominant, religion, Hinduism. Based on the 2011 Census, India’s defined minority groups are Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Zoroastrians (Parsis), and based on the 2011 Census, these defined groups accounted for approximately 19.3% of the population of India, consisting of the biggest minority group, which is the Muslims, at 14.2%.

India’s Response

Rebuking the next day, India’s counsellor in its Permanent Mission Kshitij Tyagi denied Switzerland’s comments as “surprising, shallow and ill-informed.” These comments, he added, do not mirror the ground reality of India’s pluralistic and democratic society.

Tyagi brought back some home truths for Switzerland, such as “racism, systematic discrimination and xenophobia,” and asked the nation to look inwards instead of making “blatantly false” accusations against India. “It’s even more important for Switzerland not to waste the Council’s time about the narratives that do not match with the real picture of India,” he added.

The Indian ambassador emphasized that India is the largest and most populous democracy in the world and has a “civilizational embrace of pluralism” that protects the rights of its minorities. He added that India has been and continues to be committed to protect freedom of expression, as well as equality under the Constitution.

India’s Firm Stand

India has always stood up for its minority rights record in international forums, insisting that its democracy is vigorous and inclusive. By placing the emphasis on the human rights problems of Switzerland itself, India attempted to reinforce the view that criticism from outside is not representative of the living experience of its multiform society.

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