‘Don’t Use Human Rights for Political Pressure’: India Responds to UN Protest Crackdown Claims

India has rejected United Nations criticism of its handling of recent protests, warning against using unverified allegations and incomplete statistics to portray the country negatively.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee on Tuesday, Ministry of External Affairs Deputy Secretary Barkha Tamrakar reportedly said engagement with international human rights mechanisms must follow the principles of dialogue, consultation, cooperation, non-selectivity and transparency.

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

India said it was willing to address specific cases supported by proper documentation through established channels. However, it opposed attempts to use unverified allegations or reports without India-specific observations to create a negative image of the country.

India Rejects Selective Use of Human Rights Reports

The Indian delegation argued that human rights should not become a tool for political pressure or the selective targeting of countries. New Delhi has previously described UN criticism of its handling of protests as “unwarranted” and “unacceptable interference” in its internal affairs.

India maintained that its law enforcement agencies had acted in accordance with the law.

Meanwhile, more than 20 independent UN human rights experts expressed alarm on Tuesday over what they described as a repeated heavy-handed police response to peaceful, youth-led demonstrations as per reports.

The experts alleged that law enforcement agencies had reportedly used force against unarmed students, including baton charges, despite the reportedly non-violent nature of the protests. They also raised concerns about restrictions preventing thousands of people from joining demonstrations, digital surveillance and internet disruptions.

• The UN experts called on authorities to stop the use of excessive force, lift blanket assembly bans and refrain from misusing digital surveillance, including biometrics, and disrupting internet services.
• They also called for an independent investigation into law enforcement agencies’ conduct and accountability for reported injuries and alleged ill-treatment of demonstrators.

Earlier this month, the UN Human Rights Office expressed concern over reports of mass detentions involving demonstrators, protest leaders, civil society members, lawyers and journalists before and during large-scale demonstrations in Delhi.