New Delhi: Six US lawmakers, including Pramila Jayapal and Ilhan Omar, have urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to raise the excessive use of force in Indian authorities dealing with the protests against the special intensive revision and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. This comes a day after New Delhi took exception to Jayapal’s criticism of the crores of deletions under the special intensive revision.Rubio is set to visit India between October 17 and 22.The lawmakers, among whom are also Jim McGovern, Rashida Tlaib, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Jesus G. ‘Chuy’ Garcia, expressed 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.”In their letter they also highlight incidents surveillance and intimidation of protesters in the US as well, by “individuals in the employ of or acting in coordination with the Indian Embassy and consulates.”“We ask that you prioritize these subjects in discussions with your counterparts in India,” the letter says.The leaders have essayed the protests and the highhandedness they were dealt with since July, noting the detention of hundreds – even though news agencies’ accounts have it that several thousands were detained. Rubio was also told that Mumbai, which he aims to travel to detained 600 protestors.“Throughout the year, human rights organizations and reporters documented the use of tear gas, pellet guns, and batons by police and paramilitary forces against unarmed protesters in contravention of guidelines established by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and India’s own home ministry,” the letter said.‘Unwarranted, uninformed,’ said IndiaDays ago, Jayapal’s post on X expressing concern over the deletion of 13 crore voters in the SIR drew unfriendly responses from India.On October 14, Jayapal had tweeted:“I am deeply concerned about the actions of the Indian government to purge 130 million people from the voting rolls. This appears to be a similar playbook to what the Trump Administration is doing here at home to undermine voting rights in a democracy.”Indian Ambassador to the US, Vinay Kwatra, responded on X within hours, quote-tweeting Jayapal:“The remarks by [Jayapal] on India’s electoral and political processes are unacceptable interference in India’s internal affairs.“India is a vibrant democracy, with robust, independent constitutional institutions and a longstanding record of free and fair elections. Always open to constructive conversation with the Congresswoman to dispel her misconceptions.”A day ago, October 16, Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Randhir Jaiswal, called Jayapal’s remarks “unwarranted and uninformed and tantamount to interfering in the electoral practices of a fellow democracy.”“This is an approach that undermines democracy itself,” he said.Internet shutdowns, surveillance on US citizensMeanwhile, the lawmakers’ letter highlighted India’s internet shutdowns too.“The Indian government has also ordered telecommunications companies to shut down mobile internet services in areas of the city in which protests were ongoing. UNESCO noted in January the human rights concerns associated with internet shutdowns, including the deprivation of individuals to exercise their rights to access information and freedom of expression.”Citing human rights reports, the letter notes alleged transnational repression and insufficient accountability for abuses on the part of the Indian authorities, urging greater attention to democratic freedoms and human rights protections.The letter crucially observes the surveillance and harassment of US protesters in the hands of people who have allegedly identified themselves as having been hired by Indian authorities.It says:“We have also received reports that Indian diplomatic missions in the United States hired photographers to surveil protesters on American soil. Members of American human rights organizations and the Indian diaspora who joined protests in Washington, D.C., Chicago and San Francisco in solidarity with the CJP student movement disclosed that they had been photographed by individuals who identified themselves as having been hired by the Indian Embassy and Consulates General, respectively. These incidents raise particular alarm in light of India’s documented pattern of engaging in transnational repression, including through the weaponization of consular services, harassment, intimidation, and physical violence. It is unacceptable that individuals on United States soil may not exercise their rights to freedom of expression and assembly, guaranteed to them by the U.S. Constitution and international law for fear of retribution by a foreign government.“The 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices cited instances in which the Indian government “engaged in transnational repression, including against members of diaspora populations, such as civil society activists, human rights defenders, academics, and journalists.” The report further documented several specific incidents within India of human rights violations arising from law enforcement responses to protests, and found that the Indian government “took minimal credible steps or action to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses.”The lawmakers have urged Rubio to press the Indian government to initiate “thorough, transparent, and independent investigations” of human rights abuses, encourage the release of illegally detained people, investigate reports that Indian diplomatic missions surveilled and intimidated protesters within the US, and assess whether India has engaged in a consistent pattern of acts of intimidation or harassment directed against individuals in the US and is thus ineligible for arms sales.