New Delhi: The United Nations (UN) has weighed in on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the freezing of the Congress’s bank accounts, urging the Narendra Modi government to ensure protection of political and civil rights.
During a press briefing Thursday, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, was asked about rights groups accusing India of a crackdown on the Opposition ahead of the national elections, citing Kejriwal’s arrest and the Congress’s financial challenges.
“What we very much hope (is) that in India, as in any country that is having elections, that everyone’s rights are protected, including political and civil rights, and everyone is able to vote in an atmosphere that is free and fair,” he said.
This comes days after India summoned senior diplomats from the US and German embassies in New Delhi, after their countries expressed concern over these developments ahead of the polls.
The US Department of State has commented on Kejriwal’s arrest twice, eliciting an equal number of vehement protests from India. On Tuesday, a spokesperson from the department called for a “fair” and “transparent” legal process in Kejriwal’s case, while responding to a query from Reuters. “We encourage a fair, transparent, and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal,” it said.
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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) took strong exception to this and summoned the acting deputy chief of Mission of the US Embassy in India, Gloria Berbena, to its office in South Block for a 30 minute-meeting. At the time, India warned countries against “casting aspersions” on its legal processes.
On Thursday, US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said at a press briefing that Washington was “closely monitoring” Kejriwal’s arrest and the Congress’s claim that some of its bank accounts were frozen to impede its poll campaign. Hours later, the MEA called the remarks “unwarranted” and “unacceptable”.
Last week, a spokesperson for the German federal foreign ministry, had said during a press conference: “We assume and expect that the standards relating to independence of judiciary and basic democratic principles will also be applied in this case.”
Hours later, New Delhi summoned the deputy chief of mission of the German embassy, Georg Enzweiler, and “conveyed” its strong protest against Berlin’s comments.
Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on 21 March and has been accused of being the “kingpin” of a now-scrapped liquor policy “scam” of 2021-22.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)