Archive · 25 Jan 2026
UN Committee Criticizes India Over Assam Human Rights Issues
The United Nations anti-racism committee is closely watching India because of concerns about how Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam are being treated.
The committee says India hasn't given enough details about a 2025 inquiry into possible human rights problems.
The Indian government says its laws are fair, but the committee thinks the process might be biased.
There are also reports of people being forced to leave their homes without help and an increase in hate speech.
The committee wants India to explain what it's doing to fix these issues.
The NRC is a list that tries to identify who is a legal citizen in India, and many people were left off this list, which puts their citizenship in question.
The UN's CERD committee expressed regret over India's lack of transparency regarding a 2025 inquiry into human rights abuses in Assam.
India defended its Citizenship (Amendment) Act, but the committee argued it didn't address accusations of racial bias in the NRC process.
The committee highlighted issues like forced evictions, hate speech, and legal ambiguities in the NRC process.
Thousands have been displaced without compensation due to 'anti-encroachment' measures, according to the committee.
The NRC process left approximately 19.06 lakh individuals excluded from the citizenship register, requiring them to prove their citizenship before Foreigners Tribunals.
- Who
- United Nations anti-racism committee (CERD) and the Indian government
- What
- Scrutiny of India's treatment of Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam
- When
- Inquiry in May 2025, letter dated January 19, 2026
- Where
- Assam, India
- Why
- Alleged human rights abuses and lack of transparency from the Indian government
- Committee
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
- Date of Inquiry
- May 2025
- Government Response
- Defended Citizenship (Amendment) Act, denied racial bias
- Allegations
- Forced evictions, hate speech, procedural failures, lack of transparency
- NRC Exclusions
- 19.06 lakh individuals excluded from the register
- UN Action
- Requested detailed account from India in upcoming periodic reports
- NRC Applicants
- 3.29 crore applicants, 3.11 crore eligible for inclusion
- Foreigners Tribunals
- Excluded individuals must contest exclusion within 120 days
