Glimpses of Human Rights Violations in India

[SinoIndusFriendship]

India: Report Alleges Atrocities by a State’s Police

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/world/asia/30briefs-brfIndia.html?_r=1

By REUTERS
Published: May 29, 2009

Human rights abuses by Indian security forces have helped fuel a Maoist insurgency that has killed thousands, the Asian Center for Human Rights said in a report released Friday. The organization, which is based in New Delhi, said government forces and state-sponsored civilian militias in Chhattisgarh State “were responsible for gross human rights violations,” including torture and extrajudicial killings. A spokesman for the state police dismissed the allegations as “Maoist propaganda.” The report also accused the rebels of committing “violence of extraordinary brutality.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/world/asia/30briefs-brfIndia.html?_r=1

Yes, I almost forget the Naxalite/"Stalin-Maoists" plight. There's a good reason why over a third of the nation is under de-facto Naxal control, and this is only increasing with time. Lots of videos out there about secret executions, disappearances, rape, theft, arson. There's a good reason why the people are revolting. The Naxalites are increasing their cause at a daily rate, soon they will occupy half the nation. Yet they aren't represented in Congress or Parliament -- and India makes unfounded claims to be "the world's largest democracy". It is no democracy until the 17% Muslims and 40+% Naxals have a say.

 

[Communist]

Civil society unhappy with manifestos

Civil society unhappy with manifestos - India - The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Gone are the days when political parties could dish out any promise in their party manifestos. Today, citizens want to not only scrutinise each item in the manifesto but want their genuine concerns to be incorporated in the manifestos and also want to hold parties accountable for their implementation.

`Wada Na Todo Abhiyan', spearheaded by a group of activists, NGOs and prominent civil society members, who have scrutinised the manifestos of major political parties, find them (parties) not serious about it as they have brought out their documents barely 2-3 weeks before elections. The Abhiyan claims that often genuine issues of people are not reflected in the manifestos.

The fact that parties released their manifestos barely two weeks before the elections indicated they were not serious about ensuring an extensive debate and civic engagement with their political agenda, said Abhiyan spokesperson Lysa John. "No party has talked of enacting a law to protect citizen's right to quality, affordable health services," she said. She also pointed out that "HIV/AIDS has found no mention in any party's manifesto".

Again no manifesto talks of tackling the problem of human rights violations or corruption, said Suhas Chakma from NGO Asian Centre of Human Rights. Kuldeep Mathur, a retired JNU professor, pointed out that all political parties spoke about providing "good governance, without explaining what it means".

He said in reality governance is not a prerogative of only the government. It also involved other players like the civil society. Hence, in a democracy, active participation of citizens in governance was essential, he stressed.

Civil society unhappy with manifestos - India - The Times of India

 

[inayatali]

I was going through the videos to see how these stupid Americans spread false propaganda against Pakistan. I was shocked to see that the so called expert on Afghanistan Ms. Norine McDonald, who has been bestowed with so many medals and other honors don’t even know that Waziristan is not a province of Pakistan. Look at the below video, which is full of lies and where you will realize that Ms. Norine should take a crash course on understanding Pakistan and Afghanistan culture before jumping to conclusions. For example she said in the last few seconds of the tape about the style of graves and i think that is the style which is followed in all Muslim world for the past so many centuries and hence it has no particular link to the recent presence of Arabs in Afghanistan. And she forgot to inform the viewers that the Arabs were introduced to Afghanistan by the Americans back in 1980’s to fight the American Holy War against Russia.

Details about Norine McDonalds can be found here at Wikipedia page. Keeping in mind the honors awarded to her, i have started doubting the very credibility of the awarding institutions.

The second tape is another bunch of lies. I think if this is how they infer such conclusions, i have no doubt that their intelligence will always be wrong. That same technique might have been used by Americans before attacking Iraq. I can make video clips of 1000 Americans by giving them head cover to say on record that they are CIA agents who want to destabilize Pakistan border areas by using the name of Taliban. In this technologically modern world, i never thought they will use such obsolete techniques to spread propaganda. The height of their frustration is the fact that they think that ISI backs Taliban and Pakistan provides them safe heavens but still Taliban hates Pakistan and claims it as their land. Can anyone see the big contradiction in the two claims? This is the standard of journalism in the Afghanistan. I hope Norine McDonald should pay some attention to these issues rather then being part of propaganda herself.

 

[Communist]

State’s human rights scene dismal

The Assam Tribune Online

City reporter

GUWAHATI, Dec 9 – There is nothing to rejoice for Assam on the occasion of International Human Rights’ Day on December 10, with blatant violation of human rights on an upward curve, a trend attributed to the failure of the peace process between the Government and several insurgent groups. The Asian Centre for Human Rights’ India Human Rights Report 2008 released today at Guwahati reiterated the fact that the rights of the people of the State are being widely violated both by the State and non-State actors. The report underlines that human rights violations by the State, combined with the failure of State institutions to address these violations, are fuelling internal conflict.

Releasing the ACHR report today, Suhas Chakma, Director of Asian Centre for Human Rights said that the armed opposition groups (AOG)

across India have been responsible for gross violations of international humanitarian law including killing, abduction and mutilation.

“Among the armed opposition groups in the country, the armed groups in Assam were the worst violators of international humanitarian laws including targeted killings of at least 49 Bihari labourers and killings of many political leaders like Purnendu Langthasa and Nilendu Langthasa in the North Cachar Hills” he said.

“Be it the human rights violation by the security forces by means of custodial deaths, disappearance, extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests, illegal detention and torture of the violation of the International Humanitarian Law by the active armed opposition groups including ULFA, KLNKF, Black Widow among others are blatantly violating the rights of the common people in the State,” he added.

According to the report, presently 21 States (13 Naxalite affected, 7 North Eastern States and Jammu Kashmir) out of 28 States are afflicted by conflict and human rights violations by the State agencies are further fuelling the conflicts.

Despite the army and the para-military forces being responsible for gross human rights violations in conflict situations, there are no official crime statistics involving the Army in tackling insurgency as the National Crime Records Bureau of the Ministry of Home Affairs does for the police.

Citing official cover up ACHR report stated that the government has not brought any of the reports of the National Commissions for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes before the parliament since 2002. The Naxalite affected areas are mainly inhabited by the Adivasis and Dalits. Parliamentarians are being kept in the dark by the bureaucracy.

Among the States, Uttar Pradesh has the worst human rights record with 66% of the fake encounter killings (201 complaints out of the 301 complaints), 241 cases of death in judicial custody and maximum number of custodial rape (2) in 2006-2007. Maharashtra has the worst record of deaths in police custody with almost two custodial deaths in each month.

“The North-eastern States, already facing a conflict situation and a big number of insurgent organizations operating here, can experience an event worse situation, if the steps are not taken on time to protect human rights,” he added giving some recommendations in order to address the current systemic failures, that includes a revision of crime statistics collection including all branches of the security forces, compilation of statistics by NHRC in conformity with international human rights practices, increased support to the Judiciary and Quasi Judicial

Institutions, so that people and groups do not look for alternative justice, which is harmful to the society.

The Assam Tribune Online

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Yes, there are human rights violations in India, just like there are in many other nations.

Communist, I am closing this thread. Pull it up for reference if you get into an argument where someone claims there are no human rights violations in India.

Beyond that I see little reason to have a thread on something that is self evident.