India rejects UN rapporteur's youth report as 'hearsay' at UNGA
First Secretary Anuj Swarup told the 81st UNGA Third Committee that Gina Romero's claims about youth retaliation rest on anonymous submissions, calling the report "hearsay, dressed up as a UN report".
India has rejected UN Special Rapporteur Gina Romero’s claim that young Indians face retaliation or stigmatisation for discussing mental health or gender justice, calling it based on anonymous, unverified submissions.
Speaking during an interactive dialogue with Romero at the 81st UNGA Third Committee, First Secretary Anuj Swarup said the report “asserts that young people in India face retaliation or stigmatisation for discussing mental health or gender justice, though merely citing unnamed submissions in the footnote” (https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/verify-before-she-vilifies-india-questions-un-rapporteur-s-claims-on-youth-condition-2026-10-17-139109).
“A sweeping charge against the world’s largest youth population resting on anonymous and unverified claims is not evidence,” he said. “It is hearsay, dressed up as a UN report, and my delegation rejects it outright.” He urged the rapporteur to “verify before she vilifies” (https://www.newkerala.com/news/a/verify-before-she-vilifies-india-questions-un-rapporteurs-776.htm).
Swarup noted the report itself cites young Indians creating a satirical political movement — the Cockroach Janta Party, which has demanded Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation — asking: “In which repressive state does a satirical youth party question the government, marches on the capital, and then sits across the table with senior national leaders?”
He cited the response to this summer’s exam protests: Parliament amended the Public Examinations Act, doubling paper-leak punishments, and created fast-track courts in every state for exam fraud.
The exchange follows Romero’s Oct 10 X post on excessive force and arbitrary detention of young protesters, and OHCHR criticism of mass detentions at Delhi demonstrations (https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/verify-before-you-vilify-india-rejects-un-rapporteurs-claims-on-youth-rights-as-hearsay-video). Days earlier, Swarup had separately urged UN human rights mechanisms to avoid “politicisation” and “selectivity” (https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-urges-un-human-rights-mechanisms-to-avoid-politicisation-selectivity/article71582184.ece).
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