UN experts urge India to curb force against unarmed student protesters

United Nations experts, for the second time in a month, called on Indian authorities on Tuesday (October 20, 2026) to protect the right to peacefully protest and “ensure justice for human rights violations reported during these and previous protests”.

Earlier in October, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed concern about reports of “mass detentions” at the Delhi protests against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, a statement that the government rejected.

The UN experts said in a statement that “this crackdown reflects a broader, troubling pattern”, adding that they alerted the Indian authorities on the “undue restrictions on peaceful assembly, excessive use of force, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and the targeting of student activists, amongst others”.

Referring to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest against the NEET paper leak in July, and to the present agitation against the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by left groups and the CJP, the experts said, “Despite the non-violent nature of the assemblies, law enforcement agencies have reportedly deployed force against unarmed students, including lathi charges, and have prevented thousands from joining the protests.”

The statement also pointed to the detention of journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, and members of political parties during the anti-CEC protest, and criticized the deletion of “protest-related material” from their devices.

Thousands of protesters were detained by police in the national capital on October 10, 11, and 12, including journalists, members of youth organizations, and minors.

In Delhi, during the anti-CEC protest on October 12, a member of the Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India (RWPI), Vishal, who was detained by the police, told The Hindu, “We were put inside a prison-looking van, beaten up, and taken to a detention centre. Women protesters were abused verbally and held by the neck by the police.”

The UN experts appealed to the Indian government to stop use of “excessive force, rescind blanket assembly bans, and refrain from the misuse of digital surveillance, including through biometrics, and internet disruptions”.

“The Government must guarantee non-recurrence and uphold the democratic right of students and others to assemble and express grievances,” they said. “Particular attention must be paid to the gender-specific impact of restrictions on peaceful assembly and reprisals against protesters.”

Last week, India has rejected as “hearsay” a report by a UN human rights expert that has taken note of the movement created by the country’s youth, with New Delhi calling on the expert to “verify” before vilifying issues using unverified claims.