India Slams OHCHR Remarks on Delhi Protests ‘Unwarranted Interference’
By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – India on Sunday said that the concerns raised by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding mass detentions in Delhi during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar are “misplaced and constitutes an “unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of India”. – “
Indian mission at UN, Geneva said “The OHCHR’s concerns are therefore misplaced and constitute an unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of India”.
India at Geneva in a statement posted on X, said “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.”
The Indian Mission asserted that citizens of India, like in evert democracy, “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 statement read.
It added, “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.”
The Indian response came hours after mass detentions of protestors prompted a sharp reaction from the OHCHR.
UN body expressed concerns over the detentions, called on authorities to ensure their right to peaceful assembly is fully respected and fulfilled.
“We are concerned by reports of mass detentions of demonstrators, protest leaders, members of civil society organizations, lawyers and journalists, before and during today’s large-scale demonstrations in Delhi,” the UN Human Rights Office said in a press release.
It urged the authorities to exercise the “utmost restraint,” the UN body said, “We also urge the authorities to engage in meaningful dialogue to address the broadly held concerns expressed.”
