Two dozen UN experts call on India to stop 'excessive force' against protesters and demand an impartial investigation

UN experts have called on the Indian government to stop the use of 'excessive force' in the wake of the crackdown on opposition and student protests in India.

In a statement on Tuesday, the two dozen independent experts pressed for an impartial investigation into Indian authorities' conduct, saying that demonstrators had sustained injuries and some reported being subjected to ill-treatment.

'Protesters have sustained injuries, with some reporting being subjected to ill-treatment. The experts expressed particular concern about reports of sexual violence and other forms of gender-based abuse in the protests and related detentions,' according to the statement.

UN experts are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and document specific human rights crises, but they are independent of the organisation itself.

India's CJP, along with other opposition parties and student organisations, has led protests this month demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, after 130 million names were removed from voter lists.

The protesting groups said the removal disproportionately affected poor and homeless people as well as ethnic minorities including Muslims, who are unlikely to vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The BJP and India's Election Commission deny the accusations. The Election Commission said it was removing duplicate, deceased, shifted and otherwise ineligible voters, and that anyone excluded in error can pursue appeals.

Despite the non-violent nature of the assemblies, law enforcement agencies have reportedly deployed force against unarmed students, including by means of police lathi charges, and have prevented thousands from joining the protests, the experts said.

Lathi charges are coordinated movements by a policing force using sticks to disperse crowds. The experts' statement specifically noted the reported use of this method.

'We call on the authorities to immediately cease the use of excessive force, rescind blanket assembly bans, and refrain from the misuse of digital surveillance, including through biometrics, and internet disruptions,' they added.

India has repeatedly dismissed such criticism and cast it as interference in the country's internal affairs, including when the UN human rights office earlier this month expressed concerns over mass detentions in relation to the latest protests.

What remains to be seen is what formal position the Indian government takes in response to this joint call by two dozen experts and their demand for an impartial investigation, and whether it has any effect on the protest situation on the ground.