[🇮🇳] PM Modi Confronted with Press Freedom Question

[PakistanProud]

Date of Event: May 18, 2026

Source: https://x.com/HelleLyngSvends/status/2056349011213181063

 

[Saif]

Almost all South Asian countries have a low Press Freedom Index. But India is experiencing the worst Press Freedom Index under Modi.

 

[Bilal9]

Almost all South Asian countries have a low Press Freedom Index. But India is experiencing the worst Press Freedom Index under Modi.

This question came up during Modi's visit to the Netherlands - asked by the PM of that country.

What did Dutch PM Rob Jetten say on minority rights in India​

According to several Dutch newspapers, Rob Jetten told reporters that there were concerns among the Netherlands and other EU member states about “developments in India”.​

Written by: Divya A

4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: May 18, 2026 05:12 PM IST

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands concluded Sunday, the remarks by his Dutch counterpart, Rob Jetten, on minority rights and press freedom in India were highlighted by the local media, which the Indian side dismissed as “a lack of understanding”.

Ahead of the dinner hosted for PM Modi and his delegation at Catshuis, the Prime Minister’s official residence in The Hague, Jetten, 39, spoke with local reporters about the visit, during which he was asked about various aspects of relations with India.

As reported by several Dutch newspapers, Jetten told reporters just before Modi’s arrival at the Catshuis that there were concerns among the Netherlands and other EU member states about “developments in India”.

“It is not only about press freedom, but also about the rights of minorities, who are under severe pressure. That applies in the first place to the Muslim community, but also to many other smaller communities,” Jetten said, according to De Volkskrant. “The concern is to what extent India remains an inclusive society where the same rights apply to everyone.”

Jetten said these concerns were “regularly raised” with India, even as sources on the Indian side maintained that this didn’t come up during talks between the two leaders.

Jetten said the EU-India free trade agreement would offer opportunities to discuss “other subjects” alongside commercial ties, “from a very personal case like that of Insiya, to the larger themes like human rights in India and strengthening democracy and the rule of law”.

Meanwhile, as per NRC, Jetten told the press he had recently had a conversation with the mother of Insiya Hemani, a Dutch girl ‘abducted’ to India by her father in 2016.

In the closing press briefing at the end of Prime PM Modi’s visit to the Netherlands, MEA secretary (West), Sibi George, said such questions stemmed from “the lack of understanding”. “When we became independent, the minority population was 11%; now it is more than 20%,” he said, emphasizing that people from all faiths live happily in India.

Before the visit, Dutch foreign minister Tom Berendsen told parliament there was growing “frustration” within the government over the lack of progress. As per another Dutch newspaper, NL Times, the mother of Insiya Hemani stood with dozens of supporters outside the gates of Huis ten Bosch palace Saturday as PM Modi arrived as part of his state visit to the Netherlands

At the media briefing, the MEA secretary confirmed that “this (Insiya case) was raised by the Netherlands leadership”. Stating that the case was subjudice, he added: “I would not like to comment on this at this stage”.

On Saturday, Modi held delegation-level talks with Jetten before dinner at the Catshuis. The two sides elevated their ties to a strategic partnership and adopted a roadmap for cooperation across trade, defence, critical technologies, the maritime sector, renewable energy and education.