Skip to main content

Civil rights network in report to UN talks of "intensified militarization" in Kashmir, North-East, Central India

By Our Representative
A civil rights network, Working Group on Human Rights in India (WGHR), in a report submitted to the United Nations (UN) titled “Human Rights in India: An Overview”, has taken strong exception what it calls “intensified militarization” of not just Kashmir valley but also North-Eastern states and Central Indian states.
Calling these regions as “conflict zones” the report -- whose draft report embargoed for September 22 is with Counterview, and which was prepared after meetings in 20 Indian states with grassroots organizations and their supporting civil rights groups -- says the situation “remains challenging” because of huge deployment of security forces.
“The army has established new military camps in the northeast; and military presence has increased in Kashmir. In Chhattisgarh the government has promoted self-styled vigilante groups and started arming local adivasi youth”, regrets the report.
Noting how Government of India “routinely uses Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to prevent peaceful public gatherings, restrict protests and stifle people’s movements”, the report says, “The authorities use excessive force during anti-government protests, especially in conflict-zones such as Jammu & Kashmir.”
Especially referring to “many grave complaints” against security forces from “conflict areas” about “rape and sexual assaults, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, and disproportionate and excessive use of force”, the report points to how this has led to the death of 79 people in Kashmir valley and injury to over 10,000.
Pointing out that this has happened because of the “use of life threatening weapons by security forces in response to large-scale public demonstrations across Kashmir valley in 2016”, the report points to how in Kashmir “pellet guns have caused grievous injuries particularly blindness, and victims include children.”
“In Chhattisgarh”, the report says, “There have been multiple cases of rape and sexual violence of adivasi women and an unprecedented number of encounter deaths by security forces in the name of counter insurgency operations. Daily life, traditional ceremonies, festivals cannot be held by adivasi communities for fear of encounters and arrests.”
Taking a special note of the refugee crisis “close to international borders, such as the Indo-Bangladesh border”, the report talks of how they are being subjected to “torture and extrajudicial killings by the Border Security Forces”, leading to “conflict related displacement.”
The report estimates that “India has 1,87,482 refugees and 3,784 asylum seekers which are directly assisted by the Government of India and the UNHCR . Giving details, it says, “There are 23,500 refugees and asylum seekers in Delhi registered with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), consisting of more than 11,000 from Burma, 9,000 Afghans, and the 7,000 Tibetans”.
Further, it says, “After 2012 India has witnessed steady influx of Rohingya Muslim refugees roughly about 5,500 from Myanmar”, lamenting, “India has not yet ratified the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its Protocol and it does not have any a national framework or legal procedure governing refugees.”
Other issues the report deals with minorities and Dalits being attacked “in the name of trading in and consuming of beef, using of dormant Cow Protection laws”, which in effect is “an attack on the livelihoods of both Muslims and Dalits”; criminal cases where minorities are victims are being “left to collapse”; youth from religious minorities being “falsely implicated in terror related cases”, even despite acquittal “they receive no reparation”; and religious minorities facing “wrongful and malicious prosecution under over-broad anti-terror laws.”

Comments

TRENDING

Reducing emission? India among top nations whose coal as energy source going up

By NS Venkataraman*  The State of the Global Climate report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that the year 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global temperature of 1.4 degree celsius above pre-industrial 1850-1900 base line.

Lockdown 'total failure' of science more than of politics: Open letter on 4th anniversary

Counterview Desk  In an open letter to fellow academicians, scientists and medical practitioners in India, marking the fourth anniversary of India's lockdown (25 March 2024), the Managing Committee* of the Universal Health Organisation (UHO) has insisted on the need to "repair two years of immense damage to science".

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

Magnetic, stunning, Protima Bedi 'exposed' malice of sexual repression in society

By Harsh Thakor*  Protima Bedi was born to a baniya businessman and a Bengali mother as Protima Gupta in Delhi in 1949. Her father was a small-time trader, who was thrown out of his family for marrying a dark Bengali women. The theme of her early life was to rebel against traditional bondage. It was extraordinary how Protima underwent a metamorphosis from a conventional convent-educated girl into a freak. On October 12th was her 75th birthday; earlier this year, on August 18th it was her 25th death anniversary.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

'Wrong direction': Paris NGO regrets MNC ArcelorMittal still using coal-based steel

By Rajiv Shah  A new report by Paris-based non-governmental research and campaigning organization, Reclaim Finance, has blamed the MNC ArcelorMittal – formed in 2006 following the takeover and merger of the western European steel maker Arcelor (Spain, France, and Luxembourg) by Indian-owned Mittal Steel – for using use “climate destructive” metallurgical coal for its projects in India.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview  story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded  reaction  in the form of a  link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

Attack on foreign students: Gujarat varsity's reputation, ranking at stake, say academics

Counterview Desk  Expressing anguish over the attack on international students in Gujarat University hostels, a letter claimed to have been signed by 122 current and former academics has asked the Gujarat Vice Chancellor, Dr Neerja Gupta, to provide emotional support to the attacked students and to ensure their physical safety.  

As double engine takes backseat in Odisha, BJP is pitted against 'firmly rooted' BJD

By Sudhansu R Das  BJP has got 25 years to build its party base in Odisha. After 25 years, it felt helpless and insecure to fight elections on its own strength. The party was almost crazy to have an alliance with the ruling BJD in Odisha.  Looking for alliance at the time of election shows that the party has not groomed its grassroots level workers into potential leaders.  The state BJP leaders woke up and convinced the Central leaders that they are capable of going solo; the alliance was stillborn. The question is can BJP defeat BJD which is firmly rooted in Odisha after launching piles of populist programs in the state.