India Summons Swiss Envoy Over 'Derogatory' Posters Outside UN Office In Geneva

The posters were put up in a square in front of the UN office in Geneva soon after the start of the latest session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

EAM Jaishankar

Source : PTI

New Delhi: India on Sunday summoned the Swiss ambassador over the issue of "malicious anti-India" posters that were put up in front of the UN building in Geneva, news agency PTI reported.

The Swiss ambassador assured the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) that India's concerns about the issue would be taken seriously and conveyed to capital Berne.

The secretary (west) in the external affairs ministry, Sanjay Verma, summoned Swiss ambassador Ralf Heckner and raised the issue of the posters. 

According to a source from the Ministry of External Affairs, "The secretary (West), MEA, today raised the issue of unfounded and malicious anti-India posters in front of the UN building in Geneva with the Swiss ambassador."

"The Swiss ambassador said that he would convey India's concerns to Berne with all the seriousness it deserves," the official said.

The source further added that the Swiss envoy had confirmed that the posters did not reflect the views of their government, but were merely part of the space provided for all.

According to reports, the posters were put up in a square in front of the UN office in Geneva soon after the start of the latest session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Most of the posters, as per a video widely shared on social media, had slogans opposing the alleged oppression of minorities and women in India.

Notably, one of the posters, as depicted in the viral video, reads, “Women in India are treated as slave”.

Another poster claims child marriages are a “serious violation of child rights in India”, and another one reads, “Indian Christians facing state-sponsored terrorism”.

Most of the posters have slogans in English and French.

A tent put up nearby had several other posters, including two that read, “India No to terror attacks on minorities” and “India stop burning churches”. A few more posters were focused on Dalits and one read, “Indian Dalits children of a lesser god”.