India: UN Experts Warn Of Systemic Policing Failures Over Reports Of Deaths And Torture In Custody

25 February 2026

UN experts* today called on the Government of India to launch urgent independent investigations into alarming allegations of hundreds of extrajudicial killings and torture-related deaths and thousands of injuries by law enforcement officials, and undertake major reforms to modernise policing in line with international human rights standards.

“These allegations paint a picture of law enforcement violence that is not sporadic, but systemic,” the experts said. “If substantiated, they reveal grave violations of the right to life, the absolute prohibition of torture, and the right to non-discrimination — all of which are jus cogens norms.”

“We are deeply troubled that these operations appear to substitute lawful policing and due process with summary violence,” they said. “Every incident must be promptly, independently, and transparently investigated in accordance with applicable international standards.”

The experts received credible information indicating a pervasive pattern of excessive and often lethal use of force by police, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Assam, including so-called “encounters” and “half-encounters”, alongside widespread custodial torture. Marginalised communities – such as Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis – have been disproportionately affected.

“Even the use of terms such as ‘encounters’ and ‘half-encounters’ masks a pervasive and dehumanising practice that risks normalising unlawful violence and eroding public trust in law enforcement,” they said.

The experts expressed alarm at persistent reports of torture and other ill-treatment in police and judicial custody, including beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, psychological humiliation, and denial of medical care, often in both official and unofficial places of detention. Chronic overcrowding and inadequate conditions were said to further exacerbate abuse.

“Significant gaps in legal safeguards and accountability enable this level of abuse,” they said, noting that India has yet to ratify the Convention against Torture, and torture is not explicitly criminalised in domestic law. Recent legislative reforms have reportedly expanded police powers while weakening protections against abuse. Existing safeguards, including Supreme Court directives on CCTV installation in police stations and guidelines on encounter investigations, are frequently ignored.

“States have a heightened duty of care to protect the right to life and integrity of all persons during arrest and in custody, to criminalise torture in domestic law, to investigate complaints promptly and impartially, to exclude evidence obtained through torture, and to provide victims with effective remedies, including rehabilitation,” the experts said.

“There appears to be a systemic failure of policing to meet basic human rights standards,” they said. “Modernising India’s police force must be an urgent priority — moving away from a culture of power and violence towards service-oriented, rights-respecting policing.”

The experts condemned the reported harassment and reprisals against victims, families, lawyers, medical personnel and civil society actors who are seeking accountability.

“Silencing those who seek justice is incompatible with an open and democratic society,” they said.

The Special Rapporteurs have written to the Government of India on this matter. They expressed their willingness to provide technical advice to the national authorities and will continue to monitor the situation.

Notes:

*The experts:

• Alice Jill Edwards, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
• Morris Tidball-Binz, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions

Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent fromany government or organisation, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.

Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index https://uhri.ohchr.org/en/

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