A protestor is detained by the police during a youth demonstration demanding the resignation of the country's election chief Gyanesh Kumar, in New Delhi, India
United Nations experts have expressed concern over what they described as a heavy-handed police response to peaceful, youth-led demonstrations in New Delhi and other parts of India over the past three months, urging authorities to protect the right to protest and investigate reported human rights violations.In a statement shared by UN Special Procedures, the experts alleged that law enforcement agencies had used force against unarmed students, detained protesters arbitrarily and imposed broad restrictions on public gatherings. They called on Indian authorities to respect the right to peaceful assembly and ensure accountability for alleged abuses.“Despite the non-violent nature of the assemblies, law enforcement has deployed force against unarmed students,” the experts said.
UN experts flag mass detentions, alleged ill-treatment
The experts said hundreds of thousands of students and their supporters had gathered peacefully across the country to protest government decisions concerning the education system and, more recently, voter-roll deletions.They referred to reports that the deletions affected 130 million individuals, reportedly belonging to Muslim, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities.According to the statement, more than 7,000 young people, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers and political party members were recently detained in New Delhi and taken to detention centres farther away.
Their phones were allegedly seized and protest-related material deleted. Most were released after 24 hours, including protest leaders, the experts said.The statement also cited reports of injuries and ill-treatment among protesters, expressing particular concern over allegations of sexual violence and other forms of gender-based abuse during demonstrations and related detentions.
UN raises concern over use of BNSS provisions
The experts also raised concerns over the reported use of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to impose broad restrictions on public gatherings, suspend public transportation and enforce internet shutdowns.They said restrictions on peaceful assembly must be lawful, pursue a legitimate objective and be necessary and proportionate.“These actions violate India’s core international legal obligations, including the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, liberty, security of the person, and the right to defend human rights,” the experts said.They urged Indian authorities to immediately stop the excessive use of force, lift blanket restrictions on assemblies and refrain from the misuse of digital surveillance, including biometric monitoring and internet disruptions.The UN experts called for an independent, impartial and thorough investigation into the conduct of law enforcement personnel and affiliated forces, urging authorities to ensure accountability, justice and reparations for victims.