'People wishing to protest peacefully...': UN spokesperson on Delhi protests
What's the story
United Nations (UN) spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric has reacted to the ongoing NEET protests. In an interaction, he said, "We're obviously very much aware of the protests that we've seen in New Delhi. It is important that people wishing to protest peacefully be allowed to do so without the fear of harassment, the fear of arrest, or the fear of injury."
Twitter Post
'Important that people wishing to protest...': UN spokesperson
BREAKING: UN reacts to protests in Delhi.
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) July 25, 2026
UN Spox Stéphane Dujarric, in response to a question says, "important that people wishing to protest peacefully be allowed to do so without the fear of harassment, the fear of arrest, or the fear of injury" pic.twitter.com/S8fUCxLIG4
Rights statement
Excessive force used against student protesters: HRW
Dujarric's remarks at a question-and-answer session came a day after Human Rights Watch took cognizance of violence at the protests.
"India's youth wanted to march peacefully to parliament to seek accountability from their elected leaders," said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Instead, the police met them with batons, tear gas, and internet shutdowns."
Movement
Beginning of the protests
The protests began in June to demand accountability for mismanagement of medical entrance examinations and grew to include grievances against unemployment and government corruption.
The Cockroach Janta Party, a youth-led movement that began after the Supreme Court chief justice compared unemployed youth to cockroaches, called for a peaceful march to parliament on July 20.