Bharat Summit: India’s Fear of Dissent
There was something deeply ironic about the Bharat Summit that concluded in Hyderabad on Nov 14. A gathering intended to discuss democracy, social justice, climate change, gender equality, international cooperation and the future of the Global South became an occasion to question the very state of democracy in India. The irony was not lost on anyone who followed the proceedings. While politicians, intellectuals, journalists, researchers and activists from different parts of the world assembled to discuss the challenges confronting humanity, the Indian government prevented 115 invited speakers from entering the country. One such speaker whose visa was cancelled “ ten minutes before she was due to leave for the airport ” was Helle Lyng, the journalist who had questioned Modi recently about the freedom of the press in India. The Bharat Summit was organised by the Congress-led Telangana government. It brought together approximately 1,000 participants from India and 70 other countries...
