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UN Human Rights Body Raises Alarm Over Mass Detentions in Delhi, Mumbai Protests

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The United Nations Human Rights office has raised concerns over the reported mass detention of protesters, opposition leaders, lawyers, journalists and civil society members in Delhi, calling on Indian authorities to release anyone arbitrarily detained and exercise restraint amid a sweeping security crackdown on demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

In a statement on Saturday, October 10, the UN body said it was concerned about detentions before and during large-scale protests in the national capital. The demonstrations, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and others, were linked to allegations and concerns surrounding the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

“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,” UN Human Rights body said.

The office stressed that restrictions on peaceful demonstrations must satisfy strict tests of necessity and proportionality. It urged the authorities to ensure that law enforcement personnel exercised “utmost restraint” and called for meaningful dialogue to address protesters’ concerns, citing India’s democratic traditions and human rights obligations.

The intervention places the handling of the protests under international scrutiny as opposition parties accuse the government of suppressing dissent. The Indian government has rejected the UN office’s concerns as misplaced, according to subsequent reports.

More Than 7,000 Detained as Delhi Sees Massive Security Deployment

More than 7,000 protesters were reportedly detained across Delhi as police and paramilitary personnel moved to prevent demonstrators from reaching Jantar Mantar, where the CJP had planned a mobilisation demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.

The security operation involved more than 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel, according to reports. Barricades were erected across Lutyens’ Delhi, and authorities conducted checks at border points, railway stations, bus terminals, hotels and other sensitive locations. Several metro stations were also closed, disrupting movement across parts of the capital.

Police repeatedly announced that people and mediapersons should not assemble in groups at Jantar Mantar. Authorities also monitored social media for attempts to mobilise demonstrators, with more than 200 content creators reportedly under scrutiny over online posts and messages connected to the proposed protest.

Tensions escalated near Akashwani Bhawan on Imtiaz Ali Marg at around 1 pm, when a group allegedly threw stones at security personnel, injuring two police officers. The protesters were detained, and a senior police officer said multiple first information reports could be registered in connection with the incident.

Police also detained people at Hanuman Temple, Safdarjung Flyover and Kerala House, as well as demonstrators who managed to reach Jantar Mantar.

CJP convener Abhijit Dipke and party members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained at Delhi airport after arriving from Mumbai, according to reports. In a video shared by the party, Dipke could be heard telling officers who entered the aircraft: “We are here to be arrested, come and arrest us.”

Police had informed CJP leaders that permission had not been granted for the Jantar Mantar demonstration. Dipke criticised the detentions, alleging that party leaders were being treated like criminals and describing the action as authoritarian.

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, who lives abroad and had travelled to India to join the demonstration, was detained from his residence in Gurugram’s Sector 56, according to reports.

The crackdown extended beyond activists and party workers, drawing prominent political figures into the dispute.

Opposition Leaders Detained, Sonam Wangchuk Issues Warning

Several opposition leaders were reportedly detained as they attempted to join the demonstration from different parts of Delhi. Those named in reports included former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of the CPI(M), and former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar of the CPI(M).

The detentions prompted sharp criticism from opposition parties. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Narendra Modi government of turning the “mother of democracy” into a “muzzled democracy”, alleging that the BJP and RSS were displaying cowardice through the crackdown.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi expressed solidarity with young protesters and urged them to continue their demonstrations. He challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrest all the protesters, saying they would continue their fight to defend the Constitution and protect the voice of the Indian people.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk also warned of a possible protest if those detained were not released within 24 hours. Wangchuk had previously joined a 36-day CJP agitation at Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak issue. That protest ended on July 25 following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, according to the supplied reports.

The earlier agitation had also witnessed unrest during a march towards Parliament on July 20, when security personnel attempted to stop demonstrators.

The mobilisation spread to Mumbai, where police detained around 400 people at different locations for allegedly protesting without permission in solidarity with the Delhi demonstrations. Those reportedly detained included actor Imran Khan, activist Tushar Gandhi and CPI(M) workers. Demonstrations took place at August Kranti Maidan, Hutatma Chowk and other locations.

In Delhi, authorities maintained heightened security, deploying more than 120 companies of Central Armed Police Forces to assist local police. Mock drills were conducted at several locations to assess preparedness, while liquor shops across the capital were closed as a precautionary measure.

‘Unwarranted Response’: MEA

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s office pushed back against the UN Human Rights office’s criticism, with India’s Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva describing the concerns as “misplaced” and an “unwarranted interference” in the country’s internal affairs.

In a statement posted on X on Saturday, October 10, India said the right to peaceful assembly was guaranteed by the Constitution and safeguarded by robust democratic institutions, an independent judiciary and a free media. It added that demonstrations, as in other democracies, were subject to reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order, maintained that authorities acted in accordance with the law and said courts remained available to address grievances.

India also urged the UN body to devote comparable attention to large-scale protests elsewhere, citing the principles of impartiality and non-selectivity.

The UN Human Rights office’s intervention has added an international dimension to the controversy over the handling of dissent and the proposed electoral-roll revision. Its central demand is that authorities respect the right to peaceful assembly, ensure proportionality in law enforcement and release those arbitrarily detained.

The immediate questions are how many of those detained will remain in custody, whether formal cases will be registered against protesters and how the authorities will respond to demands for dialogue over the SIR exercise. The episode has intensified the political confrontation over electoral fraud allegations, civil liberties and the right to protest.

Jaishankar on 3-nation tour to Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia

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India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar is set to undertake a diplomatic tour to Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia from March 23 to 27, aiming to bolster bilateral ties.

According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued on Saturday, the visit to these Southeast Asian nations will serve as a platform for discussions on shared regional concerns.

This tour follows closely on the heels of Minister Jaishankar’s recent visit to Japan, where efforts were made to strengthen the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between the two nations.

Jaishankar’s previous visit to Singapore in October 2023 was focused on deepening the Strategic Partnership between the two nations, during which he held meetings with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

S Jaishankar

In November 2023, then Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir visited India at Jaishankar’s invitation to co-chair the sixth India-Malaysia Joint Commission Meeting in New Delhi.

Furthermore, in June 2023, Jaishankar and Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Enrique A. Manalo, chaired the fifth meeting of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation in New Delhi. Discussions during this meeting encompassed various regional and global issues of mutual interest, as highlighted by the MEA.

Both India and the Philippines stressed their commitment to a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region during these discussions, emphasizing the importance of resolving disputes peacefully and upholding international law.

 

Jaishankar in US, to push for Security Council reforms

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External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar begins his 10-day tour of the United States on Sunday that will be marked by another attempt to infuse new life into the stalled UN Security Council reforms process and steady bilateral ties with the US rocked by differences over Ukraine and a massive upkeep package for Pakistan’s F-16 fighter aircraft.

Jaishankar will spend the first and longer part of the visit in New York, attending the annual high-level meetings of the UN General Assembly and meeting counterparts in bilaterals and multilaterals such as the BRICS (with Brazil, China and South Africa), G-4 (with Japan, German and Brazil), IBSA (with Brazil and South Africa) and SAARC (with all other south Asian countries).

The minister will head out to Washington DC on September 25 for the second and last leg of the tour for bilateral meetings, including with his counterpart Antony Blinken and other senior officials of the Joe Biden administration. He will also meet industry leaders and Indian Americans, some of whom have felt disappointed by New Delhi’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The highlights of Jaishankar’s UNGA meetings will be his address to a group of developing countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Small Island called L69, which is focussed on the reform of the UN Security Council.

The meeting will be based on the theme “Reinvigorating Multilateralism and Achieving Comprehensive Reform of the UN Security Council”.

The UNSC reforms process has moved at a snail’s pace since formal discussions started as Intergovernmental Negotiations. The last expansion of the elite club took place in 1965 with the addition of four non-permanent seats, taking the total to 15 — five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members.

India, which is now serving its eighth two-year term as a non-permanent member, wants a permanent berth in the expanded council, but it has watched the process drag with mounting irritation, which shows through the stronger language used by its leaders to demand progress.

The United States is planning to put its weight behind the process at UNGA.

“We will be having discussions with our P3 colleagues (with the other two permanent members France and the United Kingdom) as well as others on the way forward,” US Ambassador to UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, had told reporters last week, adding, “The President will present a bit more on this in his speech. Secretary Blinken will also be engaging this week on the commitments we’ve made and how we see the process moving forward.”

Jaishankar may also meet for the first time — or, as is most likely — not meet his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto at the conference of SAARC ministers. The annual ritual is marked by Pakistan’s efforts to stage a showdown with the Indian delegation and minister.

In Washington, Jaishankar is scheduled to meet his counterpart Blinken and others in the backdrop of the recent differences over Ukraine and the proposed US aid package of $450 million to Pakistan to furbish its F-16s.

The US had pressed India to condemn the Russian invasion and not increase its oil purchase from Russia so as to not allow Moscow any relief from the severe economic sanctions the West has imposed.

India had done neither, not until later, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly told Russian President Vladimir Putin during their recent meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, “Today’s era is not of war.”

The remarks, which were noted approvingly by the US media, may pre-empt some of the tough discussions — “frank” exchanges, as they are invariably noted in press communiques — that could have taken place otherwise.

The Ukraine war has added an unforeseen and unwelcome wrinkle to a relationship that’s seen remarkable progress in recent years. Strategic cooperation — considered central to the relationship — has seen a sharp upswing with quick and frequent meetings of the Quad.

A US package of $450 million for Pakistan’s F-16s was seen unkindly by New Delhi. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had conveyed the government’s concern in a telephone call to his counterpart Lloyd Austin. The US took no note of it in its readout of the call.

Jaishankar is a veteran of India’s ties with the US as former Ambassador to this country, and may have authored large parts of it. The next 10 days may prove to be another masterclass in diplomacy from India’s top diplomat.

 

India to provide loan assistance to print school books for Sri Lankan children

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Amid ongoing economic crisis with skyrocketing inflation and dollar crunch, Sri Lanka will get Indian loan assistance to print text books for school children for the year 2023.

Education Minister Susil Premejanatha said that steps have been taken to import raw materials including papers and ink required for textbook printing under Indian credit line for 2023 education year starting from next March.

With no dollars to import printing material, education was one of the main victims of current economic crisis the country has been going through and in March last year, the island nation cancelled examinations for millions of students with no papers to print exam papers.

Sri Lanka provides text books and school uniforms for students free of cost at a cost of around $44 million.

India has extended 8 Lines of Credit (LOCs) to Sri Lanka amounting to US$1,850.64 million in the past 10 years, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar informed the Lok Sabha last month.

“Government of India has extended 08 Lines of Credit (LOCs) to Sri Lanka amounting to USD 1,850.64 million in sectors including railways, infrastructure, defence, renewable energy, petroleum and fertilizers in the past 10 years,” Jaishankar said in a written reply.

In January 2022, India extended a $400 million currency swap and a Line of Credit of US$ 500 million for importing fuel from India. India has extended a credit facility of US$ 1 billion for the procurement of food, medicines and other essential items from India.

In addition, humanitarian assistance was provided to Sri Lanka by gifting essential medicines worth about INR 6 crores, 15,000 litres of kerosene oil and US$55 million LoC for procurement of Urea fertilizer.

India has provided the biggest financial support so far extending $4 billion for the year 2022 alone. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to provide $2.9 billion over four years with conditions to help salvage the country from its economic crisis.

 

Jaishankar praises Rs.20 lakh crore stimulus plan, prepares for next

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External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has described Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement under government’s Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package under Atma Nirbhar Bharat as “bold initiatives” and noted that freign policy begins at home, hinting at changes soon to foreign policy too.

“Foreign Policy begins at home. A strong economy allows our voice to be heard in the world. Applaud FM @nsitharaman’s bold initiatives under PM @narendramodi’s leadership in reviving the MSME sector,” Jaishankar tweeted.

In a series of tweets on the stimulus plan, he followed it saying, “This is the backbone of the economy. We must never allow it to be hollowed out…Also appreciate the support provided to stressed sectors of the economy… India is today driven by a new vision, a stronger purpose and a deeper commitment. A self-reliant India has more to offer to the world.”

The finance minister’s plan included several measures for helping various economic sectors amid the coronavirus crisis such as — a Rs 5.9 lakh crore with a sharp focus on MSMEs, a liquidity scheme for NBFCs, HFCs and MFIs. It has reduced the rates of TDS and by 25%, lowering statutory deductions on EPF contributions by employees and employers.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted describing the announcements by the FM “will go a long way in addressing issues faced by businesses, especially MSMEs… The steps announced will boost liquidity, empower the entrepreneurs and strengthen their competitive spirit.”

India to grow with World

Referring to Modi’s speech earlier this week, Jaishankar clarified that the call for self-reliant India doesn’t mean shutting down doors to globalization. He tweeted saying India seeks to grow with the world. “Vision of a self-reliant India that will convert the Corona challenge into opportunity. India will grow, but grow with the world. Will contribute fully to global resilience,” he tweeted.

Former foreign Secretary Jaishankar joins Tata Group as PM relaxes ‘Cooling Off Period’

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Former Indian foreign secretary S. Jaishankar, the former ambassador known for his coveted roles in Japan, singapore and China, besides the US, has been allowed to take over a new post as President of Global Corporate Affairs of Tata group and he will report to N Chandrasekaran, executive chairman of Tata Sons.

Since senior bureaucrats are bound by one-year cooling off period before accepting any private sector positions, Jaishankar had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a waiver of the "cooling-off period" and reportedly got a positive reply.

In his new role, Dr. Jaishankar will oversee the Tata group’s global corporate affairs and international strategy, which includes all Tata Sons’ international offices, said a statement. "I am delighted to welcome Dr Jaishankar to the Tata Group. His extensive experience and knowledge on international affairs will be very valuable to the group as we work to reinforce our brand and leadership globally," said Chandrasekaran, Tata Sons executive chairman.

"The Tata Group is an iconic institution known for its value-based leadership as well as India’s most respected brand globally. I look forward to being part of the Tata group and working with key stakeholders to make an impact," said Jaishankar.

Jaishankar, who served as the Indian foreign secretary from January 2015 to January 2018, was an Indian Foreign Service officer of 1977 batch who played a key role in India’s relations with Japan, China, Singapore and the United states, especially in negotiating the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement.

He had served both Manmohan singh and Narendra Modi, who had trusted his skills as an ambassador with utmost negotiating skills. He was also credited with a peaceful end to the stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops at Doklam last year. He retired on Jan. 28, 2018 from the government service.

A graduate of St Stephen’s College at the University of Delhi, he has an MA in Political Science, MPhil and Ph.D. in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University.


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Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar Gets One More Year of Extension

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Foreign Secretary S.Jaishankar has been given an extension of tenure by one more year by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Monday. He was scheduled to retire on January 28, after serving already on a two-year extension of service.

In a statement, the government said Jaishankar’s term has been extended from 29th January 2017 to 28th January 2018. A blued-eyed boy of both Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi governments, Jaishankar, a 1977-batch IFS officer, is known more for his workholic nature and serving throughout the night when in demand.

He was appointed Foreign Secretary on 29 January 2015, a couple of days before his retirement, replacing incumbent Sujatha Singh, who resigned in protest. Jaishankar worked in Japan, China, the US and his understanding of the work ins within the corridors of power are well-known.

Raisina Dialogue 2017 Concludes

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The second annual Raisina Dialogue was held in New Delhi, this time in January with distinguished foreign and Indian intellectuals and academics addressing the seesions. Envisioned to be India’s flagship conference of geopolitics and geo-economics, the conference was designed on the lines of Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

This year’s conference was jointly held by the Ministry of External Affairs, India and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a think tank funded by the Ambani group in India. Held in New Delhi from 17-19 January, 2017 at the Taj Palace, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, the theme of the Dialogue, this year, was “The New Normal: Multilateralism with Multi-Polarity”.

The three-day dialogue featured an Inaugural Panel with the participation of M.J. Akbar, Minister of State for External Affairs of India, Prakash Sharan Mahat, Foreign Minister of Nepal, Hamid Karzai, former President of Afghanistan, Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister of Australia and Gowher Rizvi, International Affairs Advisor to Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

A video message from the United Nations Secretary General Mr. Antonio Guterres was also be played before the Inaugural Panel followed by several Ministerial and Keynote addresses.

Besides the Theme Address by Foreign Secretary Dr. S. Jaishankar, the foreign dignitaries who addressed the Dialogue included Boris Johnson, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, UK, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Minister for Regional Development, Sri Lanka, Stephen Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada, Jacques Audibert, Diplomatic Advisor to the President of France, Shunsuke Takei, Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr, Commander, Pacific Command and Admiral Michelle Howard, Commander, US Naval Forces, Europe and Africa.

While the first edition involved about 40 countries with 120 foreign participants, the 2nd edition featureed participation from about 65 countries and more than 250 foreign participants.
The name Raisina Dialogue comes from Raisina Hill, where the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the South and North Blocks of the Indian government’s head offices were located and the conference symbol has the design as its symbol.

The theme of the first dialogue was “Connecting Asia” which witnessed participation of more than 100 speakers from over 35 countries and the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj described the dialogue as a “new sense of purse to the country’s foreign policy”.