The communal riots that rocked the national capital last month had attracted sharp reactions from world communities to which the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) responded to on Thursday. Hitting out at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the UK’s junior foreign minister Nigel Adams, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, the comments over violence in the national capital when it is going through a “sensitive time” were “irresponsible”.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said Erdogan’s comments were “factually inaccurate” and driven by his “political agenda”. Kumar said India had made a strong demarche on the matter with the Turkish Ambassador in Delhi on Tuesday.
On February 27 Erdogan, during a speech in Ankara said, “India right now has become a country where massacres are widespread. What massacres? Massacres of Muslims. By who? Hindus,”. Following this India issued a demarche to the Turkish Envoy in Delhi Şakir Özkan Torunlar on March 3.
“The comments are factually inaccurate and are driven by his political agenda. We do not expect such irresponsible statements from a Head of State,” Kumar said. On the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights approaching the Supreme Court against the citizenship amendment law, Kumar said it is now for the top court to decide on the issue.
Asked about comments by Adams on the violence in Delhi, Kumar said the situation in the capital is fast returning to normal and that law enforcement agencies are doing their best to restore confidence and ensure that law and order are maintained.