Geneva: India has rejected concerns raised by the United Nations Human Rights Office over the reported mass detentions of protesters in New Delhi, describing the remarks as "misplaced" and an "unwarranted interference" in the country's internal affairs.

In a statement posted on X on Saturday, India at UN, Geneva, said the right to peaceful assembly was guaranteed by the Constitution and protected by democratic institutions, an independent judiciary and a free media.

"We have seen the OHCHR’s remarks about today’s events in New Delhi. India is the world’s largest democracy, where the right to peaceful assembly is guaranteed by our Constitution and safeguarded by robust institutions, an independent judiciary and a free media," the post read.

India maintained that the right to peaceful assembly was subject to reasonable restrictions in the interest of maintaining public order.

"The authorities, for their part, act in accordance with the law, and our courts remain available to all for redressal of any grievances," it said.

Rejecting the concerns raised by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), India accused the UN body of interfering in its domestic affairs and urged it to pay similar attention to large-scale demonstrations in other parts of the world.

"The OHCHR’s concerns are therefore misplaced and constitute an unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of India," the statement said.

"In this context, OHCHR would also do well to devote comparable attention to large-scale protests elsewhere, consistent with its mandate of impartiality and non-selectivity," it added.

UN raises concerns over mass detentions in Delhi

India's response came after the UN Human Rights Office expressed concern on Saturday over reports of mass detentions of demonstrators, protest leaders, civil society representatives, lawyers and journalists in the national capital.

The detentions took place before and during large-scale demonstrations called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan urged Indian authorities to respect the right to peaceful assembly, exercise restraint while handling protesters and ensure that restrictions on demonstrations met strict tests of necessity and proportionality.

"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," the statement read.

"We call on the authorities to ensure that the right to peaceful assembly is fully respected and fulfilled. Restrictions on peaceful protests must meet strict tests of necessity and proportionality," the statement added, while calling for the protection of the fundamental rights of protesters.

The UN Human Rights Office also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of everyone it considered to have been arbitrarily detained. It called on the authorities to engage with protesters and address their concerns through dialogue.

"The Indian authorities should also ensure law enforcement forces exercise utmost restraint in response to peaceful protesters, consistent with the country’s democratic traditions and human rights obligations. All those arbitrarily detained must be immediately and unconditionally released," it further said.

"We also urge the authorities to engage in meaningful dialogue to address the broadly held concerns expressed," it added.

Over 1,000 detained amid security restrictions in Delhi

New Delhi witnessed heightened security and widespread detentions on Saturday as protesters attempted to march towards Jantar Mantar for a CJP-led demonstration demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

The protest was called over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

More than 1,000 people were detained across the national capital, including Opposition leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Pinarayi Vijayan and Mamata Banerjee. CJP members Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were also detained from an aircraft.

Meanwhile, entry gates at 45 metro stations across Delhi remained closed as security measures were tightened in the city.