OHCHR’s concerns misplaced, unwarranted interference in country’s internal affairs: India
Geneva: India on Saturday rejected the remarks of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the detentions during protests in New Delhi, calling its concerns misplaced and an unwarranted interference in the country’s internal affairs.
“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 Permanent Mission of India to the UN in Geneva stated on X.
“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,” it said.
“The OHCHR’s concerns are therefore misplaced and constitute an unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of India,” it added.
The mission also asked the UN body to look at protests elsewhere in the world.
“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,” it said.
Earlier in the day, the OHCHR expressed concern over reports of mass detentions in Delhi.
“India: 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,” the UN Human Rights Office posted on X.
Around 1,000 protesters were detained across the national Capital on Saturday while on their way to take part in the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led agitation against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, police said.
The police had said on Friday that permission for the CJP’s protest had been denied due to the organisers’ failure to comply with legal directions and their own undertakings during an earlier protest.