India has opposed attempts to turn unverified allegations and incomplete statistics into a “negative characterisation” of the country at the United Nations, asserting that human rights should not be used as a tool for political pressure or selective targeting.
Barkha Tamrakar, Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, said India's engagement with international human rights mechanisms must be guided by dialogue, consultation, cooperation, non-selectivity and transparency.
“India engages with international human rights mechanisms, but such engagement must be based on dialogue, consultation, cooperation with non-selectivity and transparency as guiding principles,” Tamrakar said.
She delivered India's statement on Tuesday at the UN General Assembly's Third Committee during discussions on the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances.
India calls for faithful interpretation of UN report
Tamrakar urged UN member states to distinguish between humanitarian communications and established findings, cautioning against drawing conclusions beyond what a report states.
“We call on delegations to cite the report faithfully, not to inflate a humanitarian communication into a verdict,” she said.
India remains willing to address specific cases supported by proper documentation through established channels, Tamrakar said. However, she opposed attempts to use unverified claims or incomplete data to portray the country negatively.
India “formally opposes any "attempt to convert unverified allegations, incomplete statistics or a report that contains no India country observation into a negative characterisation of the world's largest democracy",” she said.
Her remarks came amid renewed scrutiny of the Indian authorities' handling of youth-led protests in New Delhi, with UN human rights experts raising concerns over the police response.
On Tuesday, more than 20 UN human rights experts in Geneva expressed alarm over what they described as a “repeatedly heavy-handed police response” to peaceful youth-led demonstrations in the national capital. They called on the authorities to ensure justice for reported human rights violations during the protests.
India rejects UN criticism over youth-led protests
The latest exchange follows India's rejection last week of a report by a UN human rights expert that took note of a “satirical political movement” created by the country's youth and alleged that they faced retaliation.
New Delhi dismissed the claims as “hearsay” and urged the expert to “verify” allegations before vilifying issues based on unverified information.
The UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner had separately expressed concern over “reports of mass detentions of demonstrators, protest leaders, members of civil society organisations, lawyers and journalists” before and during large-scale demonstrations in Delhi.
India described the Office of the High Commissioner's remarks on the protests as “unwarranted” and an “unacceptable interference” in the country's internal affairs.
The statements reflect a continuing disagreement between India and UN human rights representatives over the handling of protests and the interpretation of allegations concerning possible rights violations. India has maintained that such concerns should be addressed through established mechanisms and based on properly documented cases.
(With inputs from PTI)