Kathmandu, Nov. 27 -- There were two Bhutans on display during Narendra Modi's visit this month. The first: a trusted partner, modernising rapidly with Indian support, inaugurating hydroelectric projects, and signing healthcare deals. The second: a nation that ethnically cleansed 17% of its population and has never been held accountable.

Modi chose to see only the first during his 11-12 November visit, granting $450 million in credit, offering birthday tributes to Fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuk, and inaugurating another hydropower project.

New Delhi has opted for strategic silence on Bhutan's systematic persecution of the Lhotshampas in the 1990s. The displaced remain scattered across the world and in refugee camps in Nepal, their pr...