The White House on Monday said that the online harassment of a journalist who had asked a question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his State visit to the United States was “completely unacceptable” and “antithetical to the very principles of democracy”.

Sabrina Siddiqui from the Wall Street Journal had, during PM Modi’s joint press statement with US President Joe Biden, asked him about what the government had done to improve the rights of Muslims and other minorities in India.

PM Modi, in response, had said that “Democracy runs in our veins”, adding that “There is absolutely no space for discrimination on the grounds of caste, creed or religion”.

During a press briefing on Monday, journalist Kelly O’Donnell said that Sabrina Siddiqui had been “subjected to some intense online harassment from people inside India”, adding that “some of them are politicians”. The reporter sought the White House's reaction to the harassment."We’re aware of the reports of that harassment. It’s unacceptable. And we absolutely condemn any harassment of journalists anywhere under any circumstances... And it’s antithetical to the very principles of democracy that - that - you’re right - were on display last week during the state visit,” John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, said.