Speaking during an interactive dialogue with Romero at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly’s Third Committee, India’s First Secretary Anuj Swarup challenged the findings concerning the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression.
“Yet, the special rapporteur, Ms Gina Romero, asserts that young people in India face retaliation or stigmatisation for discussing mental health or gender justice, though merely citing unnamed submissions in the footnote. This level of arbitrary report writing is precisely the reason that the United Nations and its institutions have lost credibility,” Swarup said.
Rejecting the allegations, he argued that claims concerning young people across the country could not be substantiated through anonymous accounts without verification.
“A sweeping charge against the world's largest youth population resting on anonymous and unverified claims is not evidence. It is hearsay, dressed up as a UN report, and my delegation rejects it outright,” he added.
Swarup said India’s Constitution guarantees freedom of assembly, association, speech and expression under Article 19. He maintained that these rights are protected by an independent judiciary, a free press and the National Human Rights Commission.
He also pointed to young people’s participation in political movements and their engagement with senior government leaders as evidence of civic space in the country.
“In which repressive state does a satirical youth party question the government, marches on the capital, and then sits across the table with senior national leaders?” he asked, referring to a youth-led political movement mentioned in Romero’s report.
Calling for greater scrutiny of the evidence used in the report, Swarup urged the special rapporteur to ensure accuracy and fairness in her findings.
“Chair, a mandate holder who relies on anonymous inputs to generalise for 1.4 billion people does a disservice to the very mandate she holds. We urge this special rapporteur to verify before she vilifies and to bring the required rigour and fairness in her reports,” he said.
The exchange comes amid heightened scrutiny of the government’s handling of youth protests, including demonstrations over alleged irregularities in public examinations and the recent anti-SIR stir.
Romero had made separate allegations in posts on X on October 10, claiming that peaceful youth protesters in India had faced excessive force and arbitrary detention.
She also alleged that more than 2,500 protesters had been sent to remote detention centres without legal support. According to her claims, some protesters had allegedly been tortured or sexually assaulted.
Romero further alleged that phones had been seized, protest-related material deleted and internet access restricted.
India’s response at the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee directly challenged the evidentiary basis of Romero’s report, while the allegations concerning the treatment of youth protesters remain central to the wider scrutiny of protest-related rights and the government’s response.
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