India dismisses UN rapporteur's youth rights report as unverified hearsay

During the interactive dialogue of the 81st UN General Assembly Third Committee, Anuj Swarup, First Secretary of India's Permanent Mission, rejected the UN Special Rapporteur Gina Romero's report on freedom of peaceful assembly, which alleged that Indian youth face retaliation for discussing mental health and gender justice. Swarup argued the report is based on unnamed, unverified submissions and amounts to hearsay, urging the rapporteur to verify claims before issuing conclusions.

He defended India's constitutional guarantees of speech, citing an independent judiciary, one outlet and the National Human Rights Commission. The delegation highlighted the satirical Cockroach Janata Party as evidence of vibrant youth activism and pointed to recent government dialogue, amendments to the Public Examinations Act and the establishment of fast-track courts to combat exam fraud. Swarup concluded that such engagement demonstrates democracy in action and called for greater rigor and fairness in UN reporting.