UN Committee expresses concern about Rohingyas, Dalits in India
A few Rohingya women at a slum of Madanpur Khadapur near Delhi. Photo courtesy: HRW.
UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination publishes findings on India and has said they are gravely concerned about reports of large-scale violations perpetrated by law enforcement officials against ethnic and ethno-religious groups, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, including Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, particularly Dalits, and non-citizens in India.
These included racially motivated violence, excessive use of force, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary and prolonged detention without due process, torture, ill-treatment and sexual violence. The Committee called on India to conduct prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into all such allegations and ensure accountability for those responsible.
UN India said in a press release on Tuesday that the Committee highlighted the increase in law enforcement operations targeting Rohingya, Bengali-speaking Muslims, migrants and asylum-seekers, particularly following the 2017 Home Affairs order and the April 2025 Pahalgam attack in Kashmir. It noted that police stops and identity checks involving racial profiling had reportedly resulted in arbitrary arrest and detention without due process, as well as torture and ill-treatment. It was also concerned about deportations and forcible returns of people in need of international protection, in violation of the principle of non-refoulement. The Committee called on India to urgently address discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes against Rohingya, Bengali-speaking Muslims, migrants and asylum-seekers, protect their rights, refrain from collective expulsions and ensure access to international protection in line with the principle of non-refoulement.
