Overview
- A group of UN special rapporteurs and independent experts issued a public statement on Tuesday calling on Indian authorities to stop using excessive force and to open an independent investigation.
- The experts say more than 7,000 people were detained in New Delhi in what they describe as mass roundups that mostly took place around October 10–12 and that many were released about 24 hours later.
- They reported specific allegations of police lathi charges, beatings, verbal abuse of women, reports of sexual and gender-based harm, and claims that detained protesters’ phones had protest material deleted.
- The statement notes that officials used pre-emptive measures to deter gatherings, including closing metro stations, cancelling trains and suspending mobile internet in central Delhi.
- New Delhi has rejected earlier UN findings as unverified and asked for verification, while protesters cite NEET exam irregularities and voter-roll deletions affecting about 130 million people as the causes of the nationwide youth-led mobilization and the dispute may deepen international scrutiny.