The US State Department has released a damning report of human rightsabuses by India accusing it of committing serious HR violations. The USlast week released its annual report on human rights abuses 2021 in whichit took stock of the human rights conditions in every country.
The report highlighted a large-scale HR violations in India accusing it ofcommitting unlawful and arbitrary killings, including extrajudicialkillings by the government or its agents; torture and cases of cruel,inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by police and prisonofficials; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrestand detention by government authorities; political prisoners or detainees;arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; restrictions on freeexpression and media, including violence, threats of violence, orunjustified arrests or prosecutions against journalists, use of criminallibel laws to prosecute social media speech; restrictions on internetfreedom; overly restrictive laws on the organization, funding, oroperations of nongovernmental organizations and civil societyorganizations; refoulement of refugees; serious government corruption;government harassment of domestic and international human rightsorganizations; lack of investigation of and accountability for gender-basedviolence; crimes involving violence and discrimination targeting members ofminority groups based on religious affiliation, social status or sexualorientation or gender identity; and forced and compulsory labor, includingchild labor and bonded labor.
The US report link states that killings bygovernment and nongovernment forces were reported in Held Jammu andKashmir, northeastern states, and Maoist-affected areas of the country. TheSouth Asia Terrorism Portal reported the deaths of 23 civilians throughoutthe country as a result of terrorism as of November 27.
According to the report link, on March 31,UN special rapporteurs asked the central government to provide detailsregarding allegations of arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killings, anddisappearances in Held Jammu and Kashmir, including the status of NaseerAhmad Wani, who disappeared in 2019 after being questioned by army soldiers.
The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons, Kashmir (APDP) reportedtwo cases of disappearances during the year, one in Bandipora District ofNorth Kashmir in July and another in Baramullah in June. Both personsremained missing, and the APDP claimed the National Human Rights Commissiondeclined to investigate the cases.
Under the head of arbitrary arrest or detention, the reportlink says according to human rights NGOs,police used torture, mistreatment, and arbitrary detention to obtain forcedor false confessions. In some cases police reportedly held suspects withoutregistering their arrests and denied detainees sufficient food and water.
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Following the 2019 abrogation of autonomous status for Held Jammu andKashmir, authorities used a public safety law to detain local politicianswithout trial, but most were subsequently released. Media reports indicatedsome of those released were asked to sign bonds agreeing not to engage inpolitical activity after release. A few prominent politicians declined tosign and were still released. Former Held Jammu and Kashmir chief ministerMehbooba Mufti, who was released in October 2020, alleged that she wasfrequently subjected to periods of house arrest.
On February 13, New Delhi police arrested climate activist Disha Ravi inBengaluru on sedition charges.
The report link says that under the PublicSafety Act (PSA), which applies only in Jammu and Kashmir, permitsauthorities to detain persons without charge or judicial review for up totwo years without visitation from family members. The press reported thatthe number of PSA detentions rose to 331 from 134 in 2020.
Under the head of freedom of expression, the reportlink says Individuals routinely criticizedthe government publicly and privately via online platforms, television,radio, or in print media. According to the HRW World Reportlink 2021, the government “increasinglyharassed, arrested, and prosecuted rights defenders, activists,journalists, students, academics, and others critical of the government orits policies.” Harassment and detainment of journalists critical of thegovernment in their reporting or social media messaging continued.
