New Delhi: India on Sunday (October 11) accused the United Nations human rights office of “extreme selectivity” and “unacceptable interference” in its internal affairs after it expressed concern over mass detentions of protesters, activists, lawyers and journalists in Delhi, where police mounted a sweeping security operation to prevent a demonstration demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner (CEC).“India is the world’s largest democracy, where the right to peaceful assembly is guaranteed by our constitution and safeguarded by robust institutions, an independent judiciary and a free media,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Sunday. It added that citizens exercised this right “subject to the maintenance of public order and safety,” and maintained that law enforcement authorities acted “strictly in accordance with the law” while courts remained available to address grievances.The ministry then accused the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of “extreme selectivity” in its public positions. “Violent responses to protests in our neighbourhood have gone uncommented, as indeed have law enforcement actions in its own vicinity,” it said. “Such double standards only erode the credibility of its standing and contribute to the loss of faith in multilateralism.”Also read: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Expresses Concern at Delhi’s Mass DetentionsThe Sunday statement went further than the Indian mission in Geneva’s social media post on Saturday night.had made a similar argument in a post on social media late on Saturday, describing the OHCHR’s concerns as misplaced and an unwarranted interference in India’s internal affairs. The mission had said that the right to peaceful assembly was subject to “reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order”, while the MEA recast this as being subject to “the maintenance of public order and safety”. It also strengthened the assertion that the authorities had acted lawfully, saying law enforcement agencies acted “strictly in accordance with the law”, rather than simply “in accordance with the law”.The most significant addition, however, was the MEA’s explicit accusation that the OHCHR had an “approach of extreme selectivity”, followed by explicit allegations that it had remained silent on violent responses to protests in India’s neighbouring country and law enforcement actions near its own headquarters. The Geneva mission had instead called for comparable attention to protests elsewhere, but didn’t mention any specific geographies.Also read: 7,000 Detained in Day of Unprecedented Police Action in Delhi“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,” he added. The OHCHR also urged the authorities to “engage in meaningful dialogue to address the broadly held concerns expressed”.On Saturday, the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Left organisations and other youth groups, had called for protests to seek the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of malpractice concerning the Election Commission (EC)’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.Delhi Police denied permission for the rally at Jantar Mantar and imposed extensive restrictions across the capital. Barricades were erected, access to parts of central Delhi was restricted, and security personnel intercepted people attempting to reach the protest site. More than 40 metro stations were closed down during the day. Police also detained people at the airport, railway stations, near political leaders’ residences and at locations away from Jantar Mantar.As per media reports, more than 7000 people were detained across the capital. Three prominent leaders of CJP, Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained from inside their plane at the Delhi airport. Opposition politicians, including former chief ministers Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan, Arvind Kejriwal and Manik Sarkar, were also among those detained. Advocates marching from the Supreme Court were detained and released after Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant intervened.Journalists covering the operation were caught up in the police action. The Indian Express reported that 15 journalists were among those detained. Newslaundry reported that three of its reporters were detained while covering the protest, while Scroll’s investigative reporter Ayush Tiwari, political editor Shoaib Daniyal and a Pune-based correspondent Divya Aslesha were also taken into custody. Reporters from other outlets, including Navbharat Times, were detained despite identifying themselves as journalists and displaying press credentials.Also read: Violence, Intimidation and Terror in Delhi: Modi Govt’s Panic Radiates Through the Capital’s StreetsThe restrictions were not confined to the immediate protest venue. More than 40 Metro stations were closed. According to Hindustan Times, the home ministry approved the suspension of mobile internet around at least eight places across Delhi that had been designated temporary jails for Saturday’s protest, beyond the shutdown around central Delhi.In the MEA statement, it had alleged that OHCHR ignores comparable “protests” in neighbouring countries, as well as in “its vicinity”.On October 9, the OHCHR spokesperson explicitly addressed student protests and school blockades in France, some of which had turned violent.“We are following with concern incidents related to the student protests and high school blockades in France, some of which have turned violent. We call on everyone to ensure that they remain peaceful and that there is no disproportionate use of force by law enforcement. And the right to peaceful assembly must be upheld,” said the spokesperson at a media briefing.As per its official records, the UN human rights office had made statements after protests in Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. After the start of the youth protests in July and the subsequent crackdown in August 2024 in Bangladesh, UN Human rights chief had called several times for an end to the violence. He had described the attack on student protesters “particularly shocking and unacceptable”.Also read: The BJP Govt Has Lost Its Sleep. It is Haunted by the Ghosts of DissentFollowing the youth-led protests of September 8–9, 2025, UN human rights chief Volker Turk stated that he was appalled by killings of mostly young protesters and cited reports of unnecessary and disproportionate force by security personnel.In more recent protests at Pakistan Occupied Kashmir earlier this year, the UN High Commissioner directly addressed violent unrest and security crackdown ahead of regional elections.In a separate statement, Türk’s spokesperson called for the release of detained leaders, respect for due process, restoration of internet access and meaningful, inclusive political dialogue to address the grievances underlying the unrest. “The criminalisation of a civil society organisation and imposition of strict limitations on gatherings raise serious concerns about infringements on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association,” said the statement on July 17 this year.