India has firmly rejected allegations regarding press freedom and human rights made by Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Oslo. The confrontation occurred when Lyng urged Modi to engage with the press, prompting a walkout from the Prime Minister. At a subsequent media briefing, Sibi George (Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs) defended India's democratic record, stating that the country guarantees fundamental rights through its constitution. He highlighted India's early grant of voting rights to women in 1947, contrasting it with other nations that took decades to follow suit. George criticized the tendency of foreign observers to rely on selective narratives from NGOs, arguing that they fail to grasp India's complexity and media diversity, which includes over 200 TV channels in Delhi alone. He reiterated India's commitment to the rule of law and its significant role on the global stage, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This incident follows a similar exchange during Modi's visit to the Netherlands, where concerns about press freedom were also raised.