NEW YORK, October 21 (ANI) — India has criticized what it described as double standards within the United Nations and its affiliated organizations, arguing that human rights should not be used as an instrument of political pressure or the selective targeting of countries.
The strong rebuttal came after UN experts claimed that Indian authorities were restricting peaceful assembly and engaging in enforced disappearances.
“We have repeatedly alerted the Indian authorities to undue restrictions on peaceful assembly, excessive use of force, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and the targeting of student activists, amongst others,” the experts said in a statement.
“We call on the authorities to immediately cease the use of excessive force, rescind blanket assembly bans, and refrain from the misuse of digital surveillance,” they added.
In contrast, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk took a more measured stance when addressing police crackdowns on violent protests in France and other parts of Europe. Türk described some protesters as vandals.
“I condemn all acts of violence and call on all of those involved to reduce tensions and prevent further violence. The best and only way forward is inclusive and safe dialogue… I deplore the actions of those exploiting protests to commit acts of violence and vandalism against public and private property,” he said.
Indian diplomat Barkha Tamrakar, who addressed the Assembly on Tuesday local time, said India’s constitutional safeguards, including Article 21 of the Constitution, protect human rights and ensure due process. Her remarks came as UN experts raised concerns about the alleged excessive use of force against protesters and restrictions on peaceful demonstrations.
Tamrakar stressed that human rights should not be used as an instrument of political pressure or selective targeting of countries.
“India firmly opposes any attempt to convert unverified allegations, incomplete statistics, or a report that contains no India country observation into a negative characterization of the world’s largest democracy… Human rights should not be used as an instrument of political pressure or selective country targeting,” Tamrakar said, emphasizing the need for impartial and evidence-based engagement on human rights issues.
The diplomat also highlighted the role of the National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commissions in addressing human rights concerns. She cautioned against relying on unverified allegations, incomplete statistics or reports that lacked India-specific observations.
India has maintained that human rights engagement should be guided by impartiality, dialogue and verifiable information rather than selective scrutiny or political considerations. (ANI)
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