Myanmar coup: India says democratic process must be held

India has expressed its "deep concern" in the aftermath of the coup in Myanmar by the military in the country. The country's leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained in the coup with one year state of emergency being declared.

The ministry of external affairs in its release said that it has "noted the developments" in Myanmar, reminding that New Delhi has "always been steadfast in its support to the process of democratic transition in Myanmar." The statement said, "We believe that the rule of law and the democratic process must be upheld."

Also read: Military takes control in Myanmar; Aung San Suu Kyi, senior leaders detained

Myanmar's military seized power on Monday in a coup against the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in early morning raids.

While India has said it is "monitoring the situation closely", more and more countries have reacted to the development. While Australian PM has called the development "disturbing", US secretary of state Antony Blinken expressed "grave concern", calling the military to "reverse these actions".

India and Myanmar have close ties with a number of engagements. Last year in a significant visit, India's foreign secretary Harsh Shringla and Army chief MM Naravane visited the country. Amid the pandemic, India has sent 1.5 million doses of made in India covid vaccines.