UN experts call on India to curb 'excessive force' on protesters
UN human-rights experts have called on Indian authorities to respect the right to peaceful protest, citing a 'repeatedly heavy-handed police response' to youth-led demonstrations, lathi charges and the detention of more than 7,000 people in New Delhi.
Geneva, October 20 — UN human-rights experts have called on Indian authorities to respect, protect and fulfil the right to peaceful protest, citing a “repeatedly heavy-handed police response” to peaceful youth-led demonstrations in New Delhi and other parts of the country over the past three months, according to an OHCHR statement published on October 20, 2026.
The experts said law enforcement agencies had “deployed force against unarmed students, including lathi charges” and had prevented thousands from joining the protests. They reported that more than 7,000 youths, journalists, human-rights defenders, lawyers and members of political parties had recently been arbitrarily detained in New Delhi and sent to remote detention centres, where their phones were allegedly seized and all protest-related material deleted; most were released 24 hours later.
The demonstrations are partly driven by opposition to voter-roll deletions under the Special Intensive Revision, which the experts say affects 130 million individuals, reportedly belonging to the Muslim minority and Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
The statement is the second such UN call this month: earlier in October, OHCHR expressed concern about “mass detentions” at Delhi protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar — criticism the Indian government rejected as interference. India has repeatedly dismissed such statements, insisting its law enforcement acted “strictly in accordance with the law”. The experts urged an independent, impartial and thorough investigation into the conduct of law enforcement.
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Sources
- UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, “India: UN experts alarmed by fresh crackdown on protests and rights violations”, Geneva, published 20 October 2026: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/10/india-un-experts-alarmed-fresh-crackdown-protests-and-rights-violations
- The Hindu, “UN experts urge India to curb force against unarmed student protesters”, 20 October 2026: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/un-experts-urge-india-to-curb-force-against-unarmed-student-protesters/article71604310.ece
- Al Jazeera, “UN experts call on India to stop using ‘excessive force’ against protesters”, 21 October 2026: https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/10/21/un-experts-call-on-india-to-stop-using-excessive-force-against-protesters
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