'Concerns misplaced': India slams UN rights body over Delhi protest remarks, demands equal scrutiny

Rebuffing criticism over police action during recent demonstrations in the national capital, India sharply rejected concerns raised by the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) regarding mass detentions, labeling the remarks as "misplaced" and an "unwarranted interference" in the country’s domestic matters.

The diplomatic pushback followed statements from the UN body expressing alarm over reported detentions of protesters, political leaders, and activists during demonstrations in New Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over electoral roll revisions.

In a statement on October 10, the UN body said that it is concerned by reports of mass detentions in India of demonstrators, protest leaders, members of civil society organisations, lawyers and journalists, before and during today’s large-scale demonstrations in Delhi.

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"We call on the authorities to ensure that the right to peaceful assembly is fully respected and fulfilled. Restrictions on peaceful protests must meet strict tests of necessity and proportionality," it read.

"The Indian authorities should also ensure law enforcement forces exercise utmost restraint in response to peaceful protesters, consistent with the country’s democratic traditions and human rights obligations. All those arbitrarily detained must be immediately and unconditionally released," the statement read.

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In a swift response issued via X (formally twitter), the Permanent Mission of India to the UN in Geneva underscored India’s constitutional safeguards, stating, “We have seen the OHCHR's remarks about today's events in New Delhi. India is the world's largest democracy, where the right to peaceful assembly is guaranteed by our Constitution and safeguarded by robust institutions, an independent judiciary and a free media. As in every democracy, Indian citizens exercise this right subject to reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order. The authorities, for their part, act in accordance with the law, and our courts remain available to all for redressal of any grievances.”

Calling out what it described as selective scrutiny, the Indian mission added, “The OHCHR's concerns are therefore misplaced and constitute an unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of India. In this context, OHCHR would also do well to devote comparable attention to large-scale protests elsewhere, consistent with its mandate of impartiality and non-selectivity.”

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The diplomatic row erupted after law enforcement authorities detained thousands of demonstrators across the national capital to thwart planned mass mobilisations at Jantar Mantar, asserting that security measures were necessary to maintain public order.