UN Experts Raise Alarm Over Use of Excessive Force Against Protesters in India

Bangla Press Desk:  United Nations human rights experts have expressed deep concern over allegations of excessive police force, arbitrary detentions and human rights violations during student-led peaceful protests in India. They have called for an immediate end to the use of excessive force, the lifting of sweeping restrictions on assemblies and investigations into allegations of abuse against protesters.

In a statement issued from Geneva on Tuesday (October 20), the experts said the police crackdown on peaceful, youth-led demonstrations in New Delhi and other parts of India over the past three months was alarming. They said the Indian government had previously been warned about unreasonable restrictions on peaceful assemblies, excessive force, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances and the targeting of student activists.

The UN experts stressed that Indian authorities have a duty to respect, protect and uphold the right to peaceful assembly.

According to the statement, hundreds of thousands of students and their supporters have held peaceful protests in various parts of India in recent months against government decisions concerning the education system.

Protests have also recently spread over allegations that names were removed from voter lists. The process has reportedly affected around 130 million people, including members of Muslim minority communities and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

The experts alleged that law enforcement personnel had used force against unarmed students, including beating them with batons, despite the peaceful nature of the demonstrations. Thousands of people were also reportedly prevented from joining the protests.

The statement further said that more than 7,000 young people, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers and members of political parties had allegedly been arbitrarily detained in New Delhi recently and taken to distant detention centres. There were also allegations that their mobile phones had been confiscated and protest-related information deleted. Most of those detained, including protest leaders, were released after 24 hours.

The experts said many protesters had sustained injuries, while some reported mistreatment during detention. They also expressed concern over allegations of sexual violence and other forms of gender-based abuse linked to the demonstrations and related detentions.

In March this year, 10 student and labour rights activists were allegedly detained by plainclothes police in New Delhi. They were reportedly denied contact with their families and lawyers for more than 24 hours. Allegations of mistreatment, threats, coercion and forced statements also emerged. They were later released following legal proceedings involving habeas corpus.

The UN experts also voiced concern over the alleged use of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, India's equivalent of the criminal procedure code, to impose sweeping restrictions on public gatherings, suspend public transport and cut internet connectivity.

They said such measures could conflict with fundamental rights, including freedom of peaceful assembly and expression, the right to liberty and security, and the right to defend human rights. Any restrictions on peaceful assemblies, they stressed, must be grounded in law, necessary to achieve a legitimate objective and proportionate.

The experts urged Indian authorities to immediately stop the excessive use of force, lift sweeping restrictions on assemblies, and refrain from abusing digital surveillance—including the collection of biometric data—and from disrupting internet connectivity.

They also called for prompt, independent, impartial and comprehensive investigations into the conduct of law enforcement agencies and their affiliated forces in suppressing the protests. They emphasised the need to ensure accountability for those responsible and provide victims with justice and appropriate remedies.

The statement said the government must take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. It also stressed the importance of safeguarding the democratic right of all citizens, including students, to assemble peacefully and express their grievances and demands.

Independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council work on a range of human rights issues. Their views are expressed in their individual capacities and do not necessarily represent the official position of the United Nations or the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

BP/SP