India has firmly dismissed the remarks made by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk as "unfounded and baseless" after he referenced Kashmir and Manipur in his global update. India's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Arindam Bagchi, condemned the statements, describing them as "cherry-picking" of situations and utterly misrepresentative of the actual ground realities.

"As India was mentioned by name, let me begin by emphasising that the world's largest democracy continues to be a healthy, vibrant and pluralistic society. Unfounded and baseless comments in the update contrast jarringly with ground realities. The people of India have repeatedly proven wrong such misplaced concerns about us," according to news agency ANI. Bagchi made this statement during the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

India strongly objected to Turk’s mention of Jammu and Kashmir, noting that he "erroneously referred to it as Kashmir." Bagchi emphasised that this misrepresentation was incredibly misleading given the significant progress the region had made in terms of peace and development. "This is ironic in a year that stood out for the region’s improving security, record voter turnout in provincial elections, booming tourism, and rapid infrastructure growth," Bagchi stated.

In his global update, Turk called for "stepped-up efforts" to tackle violence and displacement in Manipur. "I also call for stepped-up efforts to address violence and displacement in Manipur, based on dialogue, peacebuilding, and human rights," he stated.

The UN’s human rights chief also voiced concern over "the use of restrictive laws and harassment against human rights defenders and independent journalists," arguing that these actions had resulted in "arbitrary detention and a diminished civic space, including in Kashmir."

Bagchi dismissed these concerns, asserting that the people of India have "repeatedly proven wrong such misplaced concerns about us." He encouraged a "better understanding of India and our civilisational ethos of diversity and openness," which, he stressed, remain fundamental to the country's democratic values.

Bagchi criticised the overall approach of the global update, pointing out its "oversimplification of complex issues, sweeping and generalised remarks, usage of loose terminologies, and apparent cherry-picking of situations."

"The High Commissioner has sensed a pervasive unease, but we would submit that a key element to addressing this is a long and hard look in the mirror by the Office of the High Commissioner," stated Bagchi.

Interestingly, Turk's report, which addressed conflicts and human rights issues in regions such as Ukraine, Gaza, Afghanistan, and the United States, did not include any reference to Pakistan.