Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 21: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday declined to comment on the Indian government’s handling of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest, describing it as a domestic political matter.

Rubio, who is on a three-day visit to India, was asked about the crackdown on CJP agitators during their protest earlier this month. He said he would not interfere in India’s internal politics and highlighted the country’s democratic system.

“I am not going to get involved in their politics. This is a democracy, they have elections here. So, I am not going to opine on their domestic political matters,” Rubio said.

He noted that protests take place regularly in the United States and said people expressing their views can be a sign of political discourse and differences of opinion. He distinguished peaceful demonstrations from violent incidents involving vandalism and destruction of property.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had earlier questioned the action taken by Delhi Police against CJP leaders and urged India to respect the right to peaceful assembly.

India rejected the UN body's remarks as “misplaced” and described them as unwarranted interference in its domestic affairs. The government maintained that while citizens have the right to protest, reasonable restrictions also apply.

India also recently rejected a report by UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association Gina Romero, which alleged that young people in the country faced retaliation and stigmatisation for discussing mental health and gender justice. The government criticised the report for relying on unnamed submissions.

During his visit, Rubio is seeking to strengthen India-US ties in areas including energy, trade, investment, defence and critical technologies.

On Wednesday, he arrived in Jamnagar, Gujarat, to visit the oil refinery complex owned by Reliance Industries, led by Mukesh Ambani.