U.N. committee calls for addressing ‘hate speech’ and ‘hate crimes’ in India

The official Indian delegation at the 11th periodic review of the State of India by the UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UNCERD) had “rejected” the findings of the Committee, said official sources on Tuesday (August 26, 2026).

The remarks shared with The Hindu came hours after the UNCERD  said that it was “gravely concerned” about the reports of violations of human rights of a vast segment of the people of India, including the scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, Dalits and Rohingya refugees.

In a press note that called for addressing “hate speech” and “hate crimes” in India, the Committee said that there has been an increase in incidents against the Bengali-speaking Muslims and called on the Government of India to “ensure accountability” for these violations.

“During the review, India highlighted constitutional safeguards, a robust legal framework, pluralism and sustained efforts to protect disadvantaged communities. The inter-Ministerial delegation, led by the Solicitor General of India, had already rejected the sweeping generalisations, unsubstantiated allegations, or tendency to exceed the Convention’s mandate during the review meeting,” said an official source in response to a question from The Hindu.

Earlier, the UNCERD had issued a press note and said, “The Committee was 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.”

The Committee, in its remarks, also mentioned that these communities have been subjected to “racially motivated violence, excessive use of force, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary and prolonged detention without due process, torture, ill-treatment and sexual violence”. The Government of India had sent Solicitor General Tushar Mehta as the Head of the Indian Delegation for the review.

“The Committee called on India to conduct prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into all such allegations and ensure accountability for those responsible,” said a press note issued by the Committee that coincided with the ninth anniversary of the Rohingya refugee crisis.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination further noted that there has been an 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 found that police check posts resorted to racial profiling that led to “arbitrary arrest and detention without due process”.

“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,” the news release from the Committee said.