“Why Should We Trust You?”: Norwegian Journalist Grills Indian Officials at MEA Presser

Questions over press freedom and media access surfaced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Norway after he declined to take questions during a joint press statement with his Norwegian counterpart, prompting sharp exchanges at a later Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) briefing. The issue gained attention after Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng posted a video on X showing PM Modi leaving the venue following the joint statement without taking questions from reporters.

In the video, a journalist can be heard asking, “Why don't you take some questions from the world's freest press?” Sharing the clip, Lyng wrote that she had not expected the Indian Prime Minister to respond to her question. “Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, would not take my question, I was not expecting him to,” she wrote. Referring to global press freedom rankings, the journalist added, “Norway has the number one spot on the World Press Freedom Index, India is at 157th, competing with Palestine, Emirates & Cuba. It is our job to question the powers we cooperate with.”

Prime Minister Modi, who is currently on a five-nation Europe tour, arrived in Oslo after visits to the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Sweden. Norway marked the fourth leg of the trip, ahead of his scheduled visit to Italy.

The controversy later spilled over into an MEA press briefing on PM Modi’s Norway visit, where officials were questioned over trust, democracy and human rights in India. During the interaction, the same Norwegian journalist directly questioned Indian officials, asking, “Why should we trust you?” and whether India would “stop the human rights violation that goes on in your country”. She also asked if Prime Minister Modi would begin “taking critical questions from the Indian press”.

Responding to the questions, MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George strongly defended India’s democratic institutions and global standing. “Let me give a background to what India is,” George said, describing India as a 5,000-year-old civilisation and emphasising its democratic foundations. “We are proud that we are a civilisational country of 5,000 years old… a continuous civilisation which has contributed immensely to the world,” he said. As interruptions continued during the exchange, George appeared visibly irritated and asked to complete his response. “Please don't interrupt me,” he said.

Answering the question on why countries should trust India, George cited India’s role during the Covid-19 pandemic and its engagement on global platforms. “You asked why should a country trust India, let me answer that question,” he said.

“The whole world suffered in Covid… what did we do? We didn’t hide in a cave, we didn’t say we will not save the world. We came out offering a helping hand to the world… that builds trust.” George further pointed to India’s participation in forums such as the G20 and artificial intelligence summits as examples of the country’s global engagement.

At one point, when the journalist attempted to steer the response towards a direct answer on human rights, Sibi George responded sharply. “Please let me answer… these are my prerogatives. You ask a question, don’t ask me to answer in a particular way,” he said. The senior diplomat also defended India’s democratic framework, constitutional protections and women’s rights. “We have a Constitution which guarantees the fundamental rights of the people. We have equal rights for women in our country,” Sibi George said. “In 1947 we gave freedom to vote to our women… many countries gave voting rights after several decades. We believe in equality; we believe in human rights.”

He added that citizens whose rights are violated have legal remedies available through courts and asserted that India remains “proud to be a democracy”. George also criticised what he described as limited international understanding of India’s media landscape. “People have no understanding of the scale of India,” he said, adding, “At least 200 TV channels in Delhi alone… people read one or two reports by some godforsaken, ignorant NGOs and then come and ask questions.”

On concerns over Prime Minister Modi not taking media questions, George maintained that addressing the press during official visits falls within the responsibility of government officials. “As a country in charge of the visit, it is my responsibility to address the media,” he said. “I have been doing that and I will continue to do that.”

Meanwhile, Helle Lyng later posted on X that she and a colleague had attempted to seek specific responses on human rights concerns and India’s democratic commitments but were unable to receive what they considered direct answers. In a separate post, the journalist also clarified she was “not a foreign spy of any sort”, saying she had unexpectedly faced allegations online after the exchange. “I never thought I would have to write this, but I am not a foreign spy of any sort, sent out by any foreign government,” she wrote, adding that her work is journalism “primarily in Norway now”.