India strongly criticised remarks made by the United Nations' Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk regarding the situations in Kashmir and Manipur, expressing concerns over the “generalised” nature of the update and its use of “loose terminology” and “cherry-picking” issues.
Ambassador Arindam Bagchi, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva, dismissed Turk’s comments as “unfounded and baseless”.
He emphasised, “As India has been mentioned by name, let me begin by reiterating that the world’s largest democracy remains a vibrant, healthy, and pluralistic society. The unfounded comments in the update are at odds with the ground realities.”
India’s response came after Volker Turk’s global update at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, where he referred to the situations in Kashmir and Manipur. Bagchi pointed out that the concerns raised in the UN update were detached from the actual situation on the ground in India.
“The people of India have consistently proven such misplaced concerns to be unfounded,” Bagchi stated. “We urge a more accurate understanding of India and its civilisational ethos, which has always embraced diversity and openness—values that continue to define our robust and often spirited civic space.”
Further criticising the UN update, Bagchi pointed at the oversimplification of complex issues, broad generalisations, and the apparent selective reporting of situations. “At a larger level, we are concerned about the oversimplified portrayal of complex matters, the use of vague terminology, and the selective highlighting of certain situations,” he said.
“The High Commissioner has noted a sense of unease, but we would suggest that the Office of the High Commissioner needs to undertake a hard look at its own approach.”
Turk had called for “stepped-up efforts” to address violence and displacement in Manipur, advocating for dialogue, peacebuilding, and human rights-based solutions. He also expressed concerns about the use of restrictive laws and harassment of human rights defenders and independent journalists, citing arbitrary detention and a shrinking civic space, particularly in Kashmir.
“The strength of India’s democracy and its institutions has been key to our diversity and development. Democracy requires constant nurturing, participation, and inclusion at all levels of society,” Turk remarked.
Notably, while Turk made reference to conflicts and human rights situations in Ukraine, Gaza, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and the US, he did not mention Pakistan in his update.
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