Govt rejects criticism as protest crackdown draws scrutiny at UN General Assembly

• India rejected what it called selective targeting at the UN, as international scrutiny of the response to youth-led protests intensified

• UN experts have sought an independent investigation into reported police excesses, with rights groups also documenting restrictions and detentions

• INDIA bloc leaders and the CJP have condemned the arrests and restrictions as an assault on the right to peaceful protest

India has pushed back against criticism of its human rights record at the United Nations, arguing that unverified allegations should not be used to portray the country negatively, amid growing international concern over the police response to youth-led protests.

The government’s defence comes against a backdrop of reported mass detentions, restrictions on public assembly and arrests of protest organisers that have drawn criticism from UN experts, rights organisations and opposition parties.

Addressing the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee on Tuesday during a discussion concerning the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances, Ministry of External Affairs deputy secretary Barkha Tamrakar said human rights must not become a means of exerting political pressure or selectively targeting countries.

She said India remained willing to address specific, properly documented cases through established mechanisms, but opposed attempts to draw sweeping conclusions from allegations, incomplete statistics or a report containing no country observation on India.

“We call on delegations to cite the report faithfully, not to inflate a humanitarian communication into a verdict,” she said.

Tamrakar maintained that engagement with international human rights mechanisms should rest on dialogue, cooperation, transparency and non-selectivity.

Her remarks coincided with a call from more than 20 UN human rights experts for an independent investigation into the authorities’ handling of recent demonstrations. The experts raised concerns about excessive force, restrictions on assembly and the treatment of protesters, and urged accountability for reported abuses.

The criticism extends beyond UN mechanisms. Amnesty International has called for the release of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, detained after attempting to protest at Jantar Mantar. Human Rights Watch has also urged the government to end arbitrary detentions and ensure that security forces respect international standards governing protests.

At home, INDIA bloc leaders have been challenging the government’s handling of the demonstrations. Rahul Gandhi has led opposition allies in condemning the custody of Das and Ranka, as the opposition pledged to defend the right to protest at Jantar Mantar.

Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee described the restrictions and detentions as a “super Emergency”. Her criticism followed the police operation in which CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Das and Ranka were detained after arriving in Delhi by air on 10 October.

The CJP has questioned why the government has deployed such extensive restrictions against people demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Dipke argued that the Centre had brought Delhi to a standstill to shield the election chief from public pressure.

The movement and opposition parties have challenged the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, saying it risks disenfranchising eligible voters. Their demonstrations have increasingly focused on the freedom to assemble and the continued detention of organisers.

Das and Ranka have approached the Delhi High Court against the extension of their custody. Their petition challenges the rejection of their sureties and argues that their continued detention violates their constitutional right to liberty. CJP legal head Ratna Singh has criticised the extension as unjustified.

Indian authorities have defended the police response as lawful and rejected international criticism as interference in domestic affairs. The government has also maintained that the electoral revision targets ineligible entries and provides an appeals process.

New Delhi had earlier dismissed a UN expert’s observations as hearsay and described the UN human rights office’s concern over mass detentions as unwarranted interference. The latest statement reiterates that position as demands grow for scrutiny of the arrests, restrictions and use of force.

With PTI inputs