A Norwegian journalist's question to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has caused controversy in his country.
Modi was on a two-day official visit to Oslo this week. As he was leaving after a joint press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, journalist Helle Lyng called him, asking why he was not taking questions, but received no response, the Telegraph reports.
Later, at a press conference by Indian diplomats, Lyng asked: "Why should we trust you (India)? Can you try to stop the human rights violations that are happening in your country?"
India has rejected the allegations, stressing its "commitment to justice and freedom".
Lyng later told BBC Hindi that it was her "duty" to ask the questions.
Modi has not held a traditional solo press conference since taking office in 2014 and has rarely answered questions from reporters during his trips abroad.
Lyng has faced fierce online backlash and ridicule following the exchange, with some social media users in India calling her a "foreign factory" and a "spy" and accusing her of trying to embarrass India on the global stage.
Several Indian news channels have also criticized her approach, saying it was disrespectful to a head of state.
Addressing such accusations, Lyng told BBC Hindi: "That's how confrontational journalism works. You have to try to interrupt. You have to try to get more answers. And the answers you're looking for. And, no, I didn't get them."
Lyng was among reporters at an event in Oslo where the two prime ministers said they would not take questions.
As they were leaving, she called out, “Prime Minister Modi, why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?” He didn’t respond.
Lyng later shared a video of the exchange on X, along with posts raising concerns about press freedom and human rights in India.
Other videos showed her trying to ask Modi a follow-up question before officials stopped her. Later, the Indian embassy in Norway shared Lyng's post on X and invited her to a press conference that evening, saying she was "very welcome" to ask her questions there.
At the conference, Lyng asked why India should be trusted despite accusations of human rights abuses – a question she said she wanted to ask Modi.
Senior Indian diplomat Sibi George rejected the allegations, saying that India's Constitution guarantees democracy and freedoms of thought, expression, belief and worship.
"People do not understand the scale of India. They read one or two reports published by some God-forsaken and ignorant NGOs and then come and ask questions. Don't worry about it. We are proud to be a democracy; we have been a democratic society for centuries," she added.
Lyng later told BBC Hindi that she writes for national newspapers in Norway and said her questions on alleged human rights abuses in India were based on what she called "reliable sources," including global organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
"I know your prime minister doesn't like to take questions, but it was my duty to ask questions," she said.
India was ranked 157th out of 180 countries in the latest annual World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders last month – a list that Norway has topped for several years now.
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