India rejects UN rights body’s remarks on Delhi protest detentions as ‘unwarranted interference’

On Sunday, India dismissed the United Nations' human rights body's criticism of the detention of thousands of protesters in New Delhi as "unwarranted interference" in its internal affairs. The External Affairs Ministry accused the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of "extreme selectivity" in its response to events in the region.

The protests were triggered by the arrest of India's chief election commissioner over allegations of irregularities in voter rolls. Over 2,000 protesters were detained by police to prevent a rally demanding the commissioner's resignation. The Indian government emphasized that the country is a democracy with a Constitution that guarantees peaceful assembly and is protected by robust institutions, a free media, and an independent judiciary.

The ministry stressed that citizens exercise this right in accordance with maintaining public order and safety. The ministry also accused OHCHR of double standards, noting that violent responses to protests in India's region have gone unaddressed. OHCHR expressed concern over reports of mass detentions of demonstrators, protest leaders, civil society members, lawyers, and journalists during large-scale demonstrations in New Delhi.

The agency called for the right to peaceful assembly to be fully respected and for law enforcement to exercise restraint. All those arbitrarily detained must be released immediately and unconditionally, OHCHR urged.