Overview
- India formally rejected a passage in the UN Special Rapporteur's migrants' rights report and raised the objection during an interactive dialogue in Geneva on Thursday, October 22, 2026.
- Deputy Secretary Barkha Tamrakar said the report's phrase "For instance, in Assan and Northern India" is inaccurate because 'Assan' is not a recognized Indian state name and 'Northern India' is not a legal jurisdiction, and she said the reference cites no case, date, authority, law, or source.
- New Delhi requested three corrections: that country references be accurate and verifiable; that recommendations be clearly distinguished from binding treaty obligations or a mandate-holder's policy preferences; and that child protection be advanced through due process, family-sensitive procedures, cross‑state cooperation, and safe legal pathways.
- India argued a thematic UN report must not convert advocacy submissions or unverified allegations into settled UN findings and said it supports humane migration governance while reserving the right to treat some irregular entry as an immigration-law matter.
- The Special Rapporteur is an independent UN mandate-holder whose thematic reports influence debate but do not create binding law, and India said it will continue diplomatic engagement to seek corrections and protect state sovereignty and legal clarity.