Two dozen United Nations experts have urged Indian authorities to stop using what they called excessive force against demonstrators, and have called for an independent investigation into a recent crackdown on protests. The UN India protests probe adds a new layer of international pressure on New Delhi over its handling of demonstrations this month.
“Despite the non-violent nature of the assemblies, law enforcement agencies have reportedly deployed force against unarmed students, including lathi charges, and have prevented thousands from joining the protests,” the experts said in a statement issued on Tuesday. They said some demonstrators had sustained injuries and that others reported being subjected to ill-treatment.
“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, including through biometrics, and internet disruptions,” the statement said.
What the UN India protests probe covers
The experts’ statement centres on protests held this month by opposition political parties and student organisations. The demonstrators have demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a revision of voter lists that they say favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
According to the UN India protests probe statement, law enforcement agencies used batons, known as lathis, to break up crowds of unarmed students. The experts also raised concerns about blanket bans on public assembly, the use of biometric surveillance and internet disruptions during the protests.
The call for an independent investigation is the strongest step the experts have taken so far. Reuters reported that the Indian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the statement.
The voter list dispute behind the UN India protests probe
At the root of the protests is a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls that removed 130 million names from voter lists. Protesting groups say the removals led to eligible voters being disenfranchised, and that the deletions disproportionately affected poor and homeless people as well as ethnic minorities, including Muslims, who are unlikely to vote for the Hindu nationalist BJP.
The BJP and India’s Election Commission deny these claims. The Election Commission says it was removing duplicate, deceased, shifted and otherwise ineligible voters, and that anyone excluded in error can pursue appeals.
The dispute has already prompted calls for wider action. Economist Parakala Prabhakar, actor and activist Prakash Raj and activist Abhijeet Dipke are among those leading a nationwide protest planned for Friday against the roll revision, with the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner among its demands, The Hindu reported.
How India has responded to the UN India protests probe
India has repeatedly dismissed such criticism and cast it as interference in the country’s internal affairs. The government took the same position earlier this month when the UN human rights office expressed concerns over mass detentions linked to the latest protests.
The UN India protests probe is the second time in a month that a UN body has weighed in on the issue. Human rights officials at the world body have watched the voter-list controversy closely since opposition groups began raising it earlier this year.
For now, the government’s public position remains unchanged. No Indian official had commented directly on the experts’ statement by Tuesday evening, and the embassy in Washington gave no response to the request for comment.
The opposition has treated the statement as backing for its position. Congress and other parties have argued for weeks that the police response to the student and opposition protests was heavy-handed, and the UN India protests probe gives that argument an international platform.
Whether the experts’ call leads to any change on the ground is unclear. India has in the past ignored similar appeals, and the government has shown no sign of rolling back the voter roll revision or ordering the independent investigation the UN India protests probe demands.
The statement follows weeks of protests led by opposition parties and student organisations, and the UN India protests probe puts the police response to those protests under an international lens.