Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the protests by farmers in India on 26 January 2021; and whether he has made representations to his Indian counterpart on the use of force by the police in response to those protests.

The right to gather lawfully and demonstrate a point of view is common to all democracies. Governments also have the power to enforce law and order if a protest crosses the line into illegality. Officials in the British High Commission in Delhi and in Deputy High Commissions across India continue to monitor closely the protests over agricultural reforms. The Foreign Secretary previously discussed the protests with his Indian counterpart during his visit to India in December 2020, whilst making clear that the handling of protests is an internal matter for the Indian authorities.