India reacted sharply to the US State Department’s remarks on Anna Hazare, who plans to launch hunger strike against corruption next week, saying the utterances are “needless”.

“We have seen the needless comments by the US State Department Spokesperson on handling of peaceful protests in India. Freedoms of speech and expression, as well as, of peaceful assembly, are enshrined in the Constitution of India and exercised by citizens of this country of 1.2 billion people,” official spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi.

Ahead of Hazare’s proposed August 16 fast, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in Washington that “as you know, we support the right of peaceful, non-violent protest around the world. That said, India is a democracy and we count on India to exercise appropriate democratic restraint in the way it deals with peaceful protest”.

She was asked about the “demonstration going on in India and police brutality against the people who are having peaceful demonstrations against corruption” with a special emphasis on protest against corruption to be held on August 16, led by activist Anna Hazare.