India slips 10 spots in 2019 global Democracy Index over violent protests, threats to civil liberties

Deccan Herald: India's ranking in the latest global Democracy Index has dropped 10 places to the 51st spot out of 167 owing to violent protests and threats to civil liberties challenging freedoms across the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has been criticized by rights groups and western governments after shutting off the internet and mobile phone networks and detaining opposition politicians in Kashmir.

Modi’s government has also responded harshly to ongoing protests against a controversial, religion-based citizenship law. Muslims have said their neighborhoods have been targeted, while the central government has attempted to ban protests and urged TV news channels not to broadcast “anti –national” content. Some leaders in Modi’s ruling party called for “revenge” against protestors. India’s score in 2019 was its worst ranking since the EIU’s record began in 2006, and has fallen gradually since Modi was elected in 2014.

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2019 Democracy index, which provides an annual comparative analysis of political systems across 165 countries and two territories, said the past year was bleaklest for democracies since the research firm began compiling the list in the 2006.