The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has expressed “grave concern” over targeting of Rohingya refugees and Bengali-speaking Muslims by Indian law enforcement authorities.
In its findings on India released on Tuesday, the committee said there had been an increase in law enforcement operations targeting Rohingya, Bengali-speaking Muslims, migrants and asylum-seekers, particularly following a 2017 Union Ministry of Home Affairs order and the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.
The 18-member panel also expressed concern over violations against Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, particularly Dalits, as well as other ethnic and ethno-religious groups.
The committee said reported police stops and identity checks involving racial profiling had resulted in arbitrary arrests and detention without due process, as well as torture and ill-treatment.
It also raised concerns over deportations and “forcible returns of people in need of international protection”, saying these could violate the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning refugees or asylum-seekers to places where they face persecution or serious threats.
The panel called on India to urgently address discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes against Rohingya, Bengali-speaking Muslims, migrants and asylum-seekers. It urged authorities to protect their rights, refrain from collective expulsions and ensure access to international protection.
The committee also cited allegations of racially motivated violence, excessive use of force, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary and prolonged detention, torture, ill-treatment and sexual violence by law enforcement officials against various groups.
It called for prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into such allegations and accountability for those responsible.
The 2017 order cited by the committee referred to instructions on deporting undocumented migrants, including Rohingyas. Following the Pahalgam attack in April 2025, the Home Ministry directed states and Union Territories to verify people suspected of being undocumented migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The review was the first of India's record before the committee since 2007.
The Ministry of External Affairs has not yet commented on the findings.