Letter to Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Embassy of India to the United States - Rep. Garamendi, American Sikh Caucus Co-Chair, Stands up for Indian Farmers met with Violent Backlash During Peaceful Protests

Letter

Dear Ambassador Sandhu,
We write to you regarding the ongoing protests in India surrounding the passage of agricultural reform
bills. While governments certainly have the purview to set their own internal agricultural policies, we
are deeply concerned about the response to these protests by the Indian government, which has
reportedly suppressed the protesting farmers' right to assemble in peaceful protest.
Hundreds of thousands of farmers from the states of Punjab and Haryana that have made their way to
New Delhi to peacefully protest these new agricultural laws, and the Indian government has met these
peaceful protestors with tear gas, water cannons, barricades, baton attacks, and more. Many of these
farmers have children, relatives, and friends who are U.S. citizens, many of whom have reached out to
us to share their concerns about these developments.
A respect for the rights of freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and a thriving civil society are
core components of a functioning democracy. We have been distressed this year to see actions by the
Indian government that have restricted these rights for many Indians; not only for farmers, but also for
religious minorities, and human rights organizations.
The U.S.-India relationship has been deeply important for both countries for decades, and this
partnership is particularly vital now in the context of growing strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific
region. Our strong bilateral relationship is based not only on shared interests, but also on what we hope
are shared democratic values.
We must acknowledge that we have also struggled at times in the United States to live up to the ideals of
a just, democratic society, but we continue to strive toward it. As partners and friends, we must
encourage one another to continue striving toward those ideals.
We urge the Indian government to demonstrate its respect for these crucial democratic freedoms, and to
be a model of democratic values in the vital Indo-Pacific region.

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