Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s five-nation tour has drawn renewed scrutiny over press freedom after a Norwegian journalist attempted to question him in Oslo following a joint appearance with Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
“Prime Minister Modi, why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?” journalist Helle Lyng of Oslo-based newspaper Dagsavisen shouted as Modi left the stage without responding.
Lyng later wrote on social media that she had not expected an answer, noting that Norway ranks first on the World Press Freedom Index while India is ranked 157th.
The episode follows a more pointed exchange earlier this week during Modi’s visit to The Hague, where questions over press freedom and minority rights surfaced at an official media briefing alongside Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
A journalist from Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant asked why the two leaders were not taking questions in keeping with Dutch convention and referred to concerns raised by Jetten and the European Union regarding press freedom and the treatment of minorities in India.
Responding on behalf of the Indian side, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sibi George said such questions reflected a “lack of understanding” about India. He cited India’s democratic credentials, including its population size, voter participation and pluralistic traditions.
Another Dutch journalist, Merel Thie of NRC, pressed the issue further, pointing out that the concerns had been expressed by the Dutch prime minister himself. George replied that critics needed “more understanding of India” and later said he had not seen Jetten’s statement directly.
The incidents have renewed attention on Modi’s longstanding reluctance to participate in unscripted press conferences, both domestically and abroad.
One of the rare exceptions came during Modi’s 2023 visit to the White House, when he took questions alongside then U.S. President Joe Biden. At that briefing, a Wall Street Journal reporter asked about allegations by rights groups that Modi’s government had discriminated against minorities and restricted free speech. Modi responded by referring to India’s democratic values and constitutional protections.
The journalist who asked the question, Sabrina Siddiqui, later faced widespread online abuse from supporters of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, prompting condemnation from the White House.
According to the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, India ranks 157th out of 180 countries.
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