The United Nations Human Rights office on Saturday (October 10), expressed concern over reports of mass detentions of demonstrators, protest leaders, civil society members, and journalists in Delhi ahead of and during .
The UN body called on Indian authorities to respect the right to peaceful assembly, exercise restraint in dealing with protesters and immediately release those who had been arbitrarily detained.
“We are concerned by reports of mass detentions in India of demonstrators, protest leaders, members of civil society organisations, lawyers and journalists, before and during today’s large-scale demonstrations in Delhi,” UN Human Rights said in a statement.
“Restrictions on peaceful protests must meet strict tests of necessity and proportionality,” it added, urging the authorities to engage in meaningful dialogue to address the concerns raised by demonstrators.
The UN Human Rights office urged Indian authorities to ensure that law enforcement personnel exercised “utmost restraint” in responding to peaceful protesters, in keeping with India’s democratic traditions and human rights obligations.
It also called for meaningful dialogue to address the demonstrators’ concerns.
The statement came as an extensive security operation across the national capital thwarted a planned mobilisation at by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which had amid a controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
More than 7,000 protesters were detained across Delhi, according to reports, as police and paramilitary personnel were deployed at key locations to prevent demonstrators from reaching Jantar Mantar.
The security operation involved more than 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel, according to the supplied reports. Barricades were erected across Lutyens’ Delhi, while authorities carried out checks at border points, railway stations, bus terminals, hotels and other sensitive locations.
, disrupting movement across parts of the capital. Police made repeated announcements at Jantar Mantar, instructing people and mediapersons not to gather in groups.
Despite the heavy deployment, some protesters attempted to breach barricades. Around 1 pm, a group allegedly hurled stones at security personnel near Akashwani Bhawan on Imtiaz Ali Marg, injuring two police personnel. The protesters were detained, and police were likely to register multiple FIRs in connection with the incident, a senior officer said.
Police also detained people at several locations, including Hanuman Temple, Safdarjung Flyover and Kerala House, as well as some protesters who managed to reach Jantar Mantar.
CJP convener after arriving from Mumbai, according to the reports.
In a video shared by the CJP, Dipke could be heard telling police officers who entered the aircraft: “We are here to be arrested, come and arrest us.”
Before the detentions, .
Dipke criticised the action, saying party leaders were being treated like criminals. He also alleged that the detentions reflected authoritarianism.
e in Gurugram’s Sector 56, the reports said.
Authorities also monitored social media platforms for attempts to mobilise people for the protest. More than 200 content creators were reportedly under scrutiny as police examined online posts and messages linked to the proposed gathering.
as they attempted to join the demonstration from different parts of the capital.
They included former Delhi chief minister of the Aam Aadmi Party, West Bengal chief minister of the Trinamool Congress, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan of the CPI(M), and former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar of the CPI(M).
The triggered sharp criticism from opposition parties, which accused the government of suppressing dissent.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Modi government of turning the “mother of democracy” into a “muzzled democracy”, alleging that the BJP and RSS were displaying cowardice through the crackdown.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi expressed solidarity with the protesting youth and urged them to continue their demonstrations.
Gandhi also challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrest all the protesters, asserting that they would continue their fight to defend the Constitution and protect the voice of the Indian people.
Activist Sonam, if those detained were not released within 24 hours.
Wangchuk had previously joined a 36-day CJP agitation at Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak issue. That protest ended on July 25 following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, according to the supplied account.
The earlier agitation had also witnessed unrest during a march towards Parliament on July 20, when security personnel attempted to stop protesters.
The demonstrations also triggered detentions in Mumbai, where police detained around 400 people at different locations for allegedly protesting without permission in solidarity with the Delhi mobilisation.
Those detained reportedly included actor Imran Khan, activist Tushar Gandhi and CPI(M) workers. Demonstrations took place at August Kranti Maidan, Hutatma Chowk and other locations.
Across Delhi, the authorities maintained heightened security, including the deployment of more than 120 companies of Central Armed Police Forces to assist the police. Mock drills were conducted at several locations to assess preparedness, while liquor shops across the capital were closed as a precautionary measure.
