India, Oct. 14 -- A group of 44 Harvard scholars and professionals on Wednesday raised concerns over what they described as attacks on India's constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission and the Supreme Court, asserting that while dissent is a right, questioning institutional credibility without evidence is not.

In a statement, the signatories, who identified themselves as concerned citizens of India, the world's oldest and largest democracy, said descriptions of the country as being under "siege" and constitutional authorities as "thieves" or "compromised" raised serious questions about attempts to erode public trust in democratic institutions.

The signatories include lawyers, policymakers, civil servants, scientists...