India called OHCHR’s concerns over the Delhi events “misplaced” and an “unwarranted interference” in the country’s internal affairs.
India has pushed back against remarks by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the events in New Delhi, calling its concerns “misplaced” and an “unwarranted interference” in India’s internal affairs.
In a post on X, India at UN, Geneva said the right to peaceful assembly is constitutionally guaranteed in India but is subject to reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order.
“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,” it said.
“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 added.
India further rejected the concerns raised by the UN rights body, saying, “The OHCHR’s concerns are therefore misplaced and constitute an unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of India.”
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. 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.
The OHCHR’s concerns are therefore misplaced and constitute an unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of India.
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.
@MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy @PMOIndia @DrSJaishankar @abagchimea
— India at UN, Geneva (@IndiaUNGeneva) October 10, 2026
The Indian mission also questioned what it described as a lack of consistency in the OHCHR’s attention to protests in different parts of the world.