India rejects 'unverified' UN claims over crackdown on youth-led protests

India has told the United Nations General Assembly that it firmly opposes attempts to cast the world's largest democracy in a negative light on the basis of unverified allegations, after international concern mounted over its handling of youth-led protests.

Deputy Secretary Barkha Tamrakar, addressing the General Assembly's Third Committee, argued that unsubstantiated claims should not be allowed to form the basis of adverse characterisations of the country at the international body.

The intervention came after more than 20 UN human rights experts, convening in Geneva, expressed serious alarm over what they described as a repeatedly heavy-handed police response to peaceful protests across India. New Delhi dismissed the criticism as selective targeting, accusing the UN of applying inconsistent scrutiny.

The dispute underscores growing tensions between India and international human rights mechanisms, with officials insisting that domestic affairs are being misrepresented through a politically motivated lens at the global forum.