The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Saturday
expressed concern about detentions before and after large protests in New Delhi,
urging Indian authorities to fully protect the right to peaceful assembly and to
immediately release anyone arbitrarily detained. India’s Ministry of External
Affairs said the right to peaceful assembly is guaranteed by the constitution
and upheld by robust institutions, an independent judiciary and a free press,
and that assemblies are exercised subject to public order and security; it
called the OHCHR’s concerns unfounded and an unacceptable interference in
India’s internal affairs.
