India has strongly rejected the remarks made by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) regarding recent events in New Delhi, terming them unwarranted and an unacceptable interference in the country’s internal affairs.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs emphasised that as the world’s largest democracy, India guarantees the right to peaceful assembly under its Constitution, backed by robust institutions, an independent judiciary, and a free media. It noted that, like any democracy, these rights are exercised subject to public order and safety, with law enforcement authorities acting strictly according to the law and legal avenues available to all.

India also highlighted the OHCHR’s selective approach, pointing out that violent responses to protests in India’s neighbourhood and law enforcement actions in the UN body’s own vicinity have gone uncommented. New Delhi cautioned that such double standards seriously erode the credibility of multilateral institutions.