'Unwarranted interference': India slams UN human rights office over remarks on Delhi protests

India has rejected the statement by United Nations human rights office calling for release of detained protesters during large-scale demonstrations in Delhi called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). India has said that the concerns are “misplaced” and an “unwarranted interference” in the country's internal affairs. It also asked the mission to focus on "large-scale protests elsewhere."

The response came after the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed concern over reports of mass detentions of demonstrators, protest leaders, civil society members, lawyers and journalists before and during the protests in the national capital. The mission added that citizens were entitled to exercise their right to peaceful assembly, subject to reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order.

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In a statement posted on X, India's Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva said the right to peaceful assembly was guaranteed by the Constitution and safeguarded by the country's institutions, independent judiciary and free media. “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. 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 mission had said in its statement: "We are concerned by reports of mass detentions of demonstrators, protest leaders, members of civil society organisations, lawyers and journalists, before and during today’s large-scale demonstrations in Delhi. We call on the authorities to ensure that the right to peaceful assembly is fully respected and fulfilled."