India on Sunday rejected as “unwarranted” the United Nations Human Rights Office’s concerns over the detention of protesters during the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) demonstration in Delhi, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) asserting that law enforcement authorities had acted “strictly in accordance with the law”.
In a video statement posted on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian Constitution guaranteed the right to peaceful assembly, which was safeguarded by the country’s institutions, an independent judiciary and a free media.
“We have seen certain remarks by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights about yesterday'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 and an independent judiciary, and a free media,” Jaiswal said.
He added that the right to peaceful assembly, as in other democracies, was subject to the maintenance of public order and safety. Jaiswal said Indian courts remained accessible to citizens seeking redressal of grievances and described the UN body’s concerns as “an unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of India”.
“As in every democracy, Indian citizens exercise this right subject to the maintenance of public order and safety. Our law enforcement authorities act strictly in accordance with the law and our courts remain available to all for the redressal of any grievances. The OHCHR's concerns are therefore unwarranted and constitute an unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of India,” he said, according to ANI.
Jaiswal also accused the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of being selective in its public statements, alleging that it had not commented on violent responses to protests in neighbouring countries or law enforcement operations near its own base.
“We also note that the OHCHR has an approach of extreme selectivity when it comes to public positions. Violent responses to protests in our neighbourhood have gone uncommented, as indeed have law enforcement actions in its own vicinity,” he said.
“Such double standards only erode the credibility of its standing and contribute to the loss of faith in multilateralism,” Jaiswal added.
The MEA’s response followed a statement by the UN Human Rights Office expressing concern over reports of mass detentions of demonstrators, protest leaders, civil society members, lawyers and journalists in Delhi before and during the CJP-led protests.
UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan urged Indian authorities to respect the right to peaceful assembly and “immediately and unconditionally” release those allegedly arbitrarily detained.
“We are concerned by reports of mass detentions in India of demonstrators, protest leaders, members of civil society organisations, lawyers and journalists, before and during today’s large-scale demonstrations in Delhi,” the statement said.
The UN office also called on authorities to exercise restraint in handling protesters and ensure that any restrictions on demonstrations met “strict tests of necessity and proportionality”. It urged the authorities to engage in meaningful dialogue to address protesters’ concerns.
The exchanges came amid widespread detentions across the national capital as demonstrators attempted to march towards Jantar Mantar for a CJP-led protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
According to Delhi Police sources cited by ANI, around 1,000 protesters had been detained across the capital while attempting to reach the protest site.
Police deployed security personnel and conducted intensive vehicle checks at key entry points to prevent demonstrators from reaching the designated location.
Among those detained were Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and All India Students’ Association (AISA) leader Neha Bora. CJP activists Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, along with the party’s legal head, Ratna Singh, were also detained, ANI reported. Several other political leaders and demonstrators were detained at different locations in Delhi and elsewhere.
(With inputs from ANI)
