MEA summons Swiss envoy to protest ‘anti-India’ posters

India’s ministry of external affairs (MEA) summoned Switzerland’s ambassador on Sunday to protest against “unfounded and malicious” posters put up in front of the United Nations (UN) office in Geneva, people familiar with the matter said.

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

The secretary (west) in the external affairs ministry, Sanjay Verma, called in Swiss ambassador Ralf Heckner and raised the issue of the “unfounded and malicious anti-India posters”, the people cited above said.

The Swiss envoy said he would convey India’s concerns to Berne with “all the seriousness it deserves”, the people said.

“The embassy has conveyed India’s concerns to Berne with all the seriousness it deserves,” Heckner said subsequently in a brief statement.

The posters in Geneva have been put up in a space provided to all, but they do not in any way reflect the position of the Swiss government, the people said.

One of the posters, as depicted in the widely shared video, states: “Women in India are treated as slave”. Another claims child marriages are a “serious violation of child rights in India”, and yet another states “Indian Christians facing state-sponsored terrorism”. Most of the posters feature slogans in English and French.

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

Similar posters have been put up in the past during sessions of the UNHRC. It is understood that the external affairs ministry decided to act on Sunday after the video shared on social media got more than a million views.