India rejects ‘negative characterisation’ at UN

India has rebuffed attempts to portray it in a "negative characterisation" at the United Nations, asserting that human rights should not be weaponized for political gain or to single out the nation. Deputy Secretary Barkha Tamrakar of India's Ministry of External Affairs emphasized that India's engagement with international human rights mechanisms should be anchored in dialogue, consultation, cooperation, non-selectivity, and transparency."India engages with international human rights mechanisms, but such engagement must be based on dialogue, consultation, cooperation with non-selectivity and transparency as guiding principles," Tamrakar stated.

She made these remarks at the UN General Assembly's Third Committee during talks on the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances on Tuesday.Tamrakar urged UN member states to differentiate between humanitarian communications and established findings, warning against drawing conclusions beyond the scope of a report. "We call on delegations to cite the report faithfully, not to inflate a humanitarian communication into a verdict," she added.

India remains open to addressing individual cases backed by proper documentation through established channels, but the country staunchly opposes the use of unverified claims or incomplete data to cast a negative light on the world's largest democracy, Tamrakar reiterated.Her comments came amid heightened scrutiny of India's response to youth-led protests in New Delhi, with UN human rights experts voicing concerns over the police's heavy-handed approach to peaceful demonstrations.

Over 20 UN human rights experts in Geneva expressed alarm over what they termed a "repeatedly heavy-handed police response" to peaceful youth-led demonstrations in the capital and called for justice for alleged human rights violations during the protests. The latest exchange followed India's rejection last week of a UN human rights expert's report that noted a "satirical political movement" created by the country's youth and alleged retaliation against them.

New Delhi dismissed the claims as "hearsay" and urged the expert to "verify" allegations before condemning issues based on unverified information. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had separately expressed concern over "reports of mass detentions of demonstrators, protest leaders, members of civil society organizations, lawyers, and journalists" before and during large-scale demonstrations in Delhi.

India labelled the Office of the High Commissioner's remarks as "unwarranted" and an "unacceptable interference" in the country's internal affairs. The statements underscore a persistent rift between India and UN human rights representatives over the management of protests and the interpretation of allegations regarding potential rights violations.

India maintains that such concerns should be handled through established mechanisms and based on properly documented cases.