‘Unwarranted and unacceptable’: India slams UN human rights office's concerns over Delhi protest

The response followed the United Nations' expression of concern over mass detentions in Delhi amid protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday called the concerns expressed by the United Nations Human Rights Office over the Delhi protests “unwarranted” and “unacceptable”, accusing it of interfering in India's internal affairs.

]MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressing a press conference in New Delhi. (ANI Video Grab)

Responding to the remarks during a media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) appeared to be following a selective approach in commenting on protests and law enforcement actions around the world.

“... the concerns expressed by OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) are unwarranted and at the same time unacceptable because it amounts to interference in India's internal affairs,” Jaiswal said.

“It seems that they have an approach of extreme selectivity because they have not reacted in their public positions on protests which are happening or law enforcement actions which are happening in other parts of the world,” he added.

Jaiswal warned that such an approach could undermine confidence in multilateralism and damage the organisation's credibility.

“And if they continue on this path, then obviously it will lead to loss of faith in multilateralism. At the same time, it undermines their credibility as an organisation,” he said.

What India said earlier

Earlier, the MEA had rejected the OHCHR's remarks on the events in New Delhi, describing its concerns as “misplaced” and accusing the office of unwarranted interference in India's internal affairs.

In a statement shared by the ministry on X, India said the right to peaceful assembly was guaranteed by the Constitution and safeguarded by the country's institutions, an independent judiciary and a free media.

“We have seen the OHCHR’s remarks about today’s events in New Delhi,” the statement said, adding that citizens exercised their right to peaceful assembly subject to reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order.

The restrictions also came under legal scrutiny, with the Supreme Court intervening over curbs affecting public transport and calling for a balance between the right to protest and the need to prevent disruption to essential services.

Why the UN raised concerns

The response followed the United Nations' expression of concern over mass detentions in Delhi amid protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstrations were accompanied by heightened security measures and restrictions in parts of the national capital.

The protests, called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and other groups, were linked to demands for Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.