US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took a sharp dig at United Nations experts over their criticism of the police response to protests directed at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi. Dismissing the critics, Rubio labeled the term "UN experts" as an oxymoron while declining to offer any commentary on the demonstrations themselves, maintaining that the situation is strictly an internal political matter for India.
Responding to journalists regarding the condemnation by UN experts over the heavy-handed law enforcement tactics used against youth-led demonstrations in the capital, Rubio sarcastically remarked that the individuals were his favorites and represented a contradiction in terms.
Emphasizing his stance of non-interference, Rubio stated that the protests constitute a domestic political affair and noted that he would refrain from giving opinions on such matters in a democratic nation that regularly holds elections. He added that the United States experiences similar public demonstrations on a daily basis.
Previously, human rights experts associated with the UN had publicly condemned the police response, characterizing the handling of the youth-led rallies in Delhi as heavy-handed. They had called upon Indian authorities to safeguard the right to peaceful assembly and to guarantee accountability for any human rights abuses connected to the demonstrations.
Meanwhile, Rubio is scheduled to travel to Jamnagar in Gujarat to wrap up his second official visit to India within a span of four months.