721 hate crimes in 2015-18, whither Modi's "promise" to minorities?: Amnesty

By A Representative
Commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi starting his second consecutive term, top international human rights organization Amnesty International has said that the recent crackdown by the Indian authorities – treating human rights organisations as criminal enterprises and human rights defenders as criminals – is inconsistent with the “recent promise” made by Modi to ensure that minorities should be made to live without fear.
According to Amnesty, between September 2015 and December 2018, Amnesty India “recorded a total of 721 incidents of hate crimes through its website ‘Halt the Hate’, adding, incidents documented by it “of hate crimes against people from marginalized communities, including Dalits, Adivasis, transgender persons, and migrants, and members of racial or religious minority groups” suggest that he has to take concrete actions for inclusive India.
"Hate crimes motivated by religious bias had risen to a decade-high of 93", Amnesy said, adding, “The year 2018 also witnessed a massive crackdown on human rights defenders, journalists, Right to Information activists and civil society organizations working for some of the poorest and marginalized communities in India.”
It continued, “Many activists, like Sudha Bharadwaj, Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Surendra Gadling, Arun Ferreira, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Varavara Rao and Vernon Gonsalves, were arrested and subjected to a sustained smear campaign where they are projected as ‘anti-nationals’ and Maoists.”
It expressed concern over the fact recent report by the Association for Democratic Reforms revealing that nearly half of the newly-elected Lok Sabha members have criminal charges against them, of which 29 have registered cases related to hate speech, Amnesty said.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

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