From C K Nayak
New Delhi: India was criticised for human rights violations in Northeast and other parts by the United States, Amnesty International and others fora.
The US State Department’s annual document on ‘Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011’, gave a detailed account of human rights records of different countries including India. “The most significant human rights problems were police and security force abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and rape; widespread corruption at all levels of government; and separatist, insurgent, and societal violence,” the report released by US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, said on Friday.
“Separatist insurgents and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeastern States, and the Naxalite belt committed numerous serious abuses, including killing armed forces personnel, police, government officials, and civilians.
“Insurgents were responsible for numerous cases of beheading, kidnapping, torture, rape, and extortion.
The report also accused BSF for killings on the border.
This is happening despite both the counties cautioning against such incidents, it added.
Amnesty International in its annual report too criticised India for human rights violations in insurgency affected areas. It also criticised the extremists for using civilians in their war against the state.
India also faced criticism on human rights in an international meeting at Geneva.
The Government however tried to defend itself by showing the freedom and autonomy given to institutions like NHRC.
However, the number of incidents declined considerably in the Northeast States and Jammu and Kashmir compared with the previous year,” the US report said.
According to the document, other human rights problems in India included disappearances, poor prison conditions that were frequently life threatening, arbitrary arrests and detention, and lengthy pretrial detention.
“The law in some states restricted religious conversion, and there were reports of arrests, but no reports of convictions under these laws. There were some limits on freedom of movement.
“Rape, domestic violence, dowry-related deaths, honour killings, sexual harassment, and discrimination against women remained serious problems,” it said.
Noting that child abuse, child marriage, and child prostitution were problems, the report said, trafficking in persons and caste-based discrimination and violence continued, as did discrimination against indigenous persons.
The report pointed out that the indigenous people get certain extra rights under the constitution.
But many times such rights like forest rights have been violated, it said.
Some of the tribal women who are employed as domestic help are subjected to physical abuse including in some cases even rape, it said.