New Delhi: UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan has expressed concerns at the mass detentions in the national capital today. At the time of publishing the report, 7,000 were detained and several were beaten and injured as part of authorities’ efforts to force people into not participating in a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, calling for the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.Al-Kheetan called on the authorities to ensure that the right to peaceful assembly is respected.Delhi Police has, according to reports, also denied detained protesters water, released them at great distances away from where they were held and also manhandled no small number of detainees. Among the detained are four former chief ministers of Indian states, students, youth leaders, lawyers, journalists and senior citizens.The full statement is as follows: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.We call on the authorities to ensure that the right to peaceful assembly is fully respected and fulfilled. Restrictions on peaceful protests must meet strict tests of necessity and proportionality.The Indian authorities should also ensure law enforcement forces exercise utmost restraint in response to peaceful protesters, consistent with the country’s democratic traditions and human rights obligations. All those arbitrarily detained must be immediately and unconditionally released.We also urge the authorities to engage in meaningful dialogue to address the broadly held concerns expressed.