There is no respect for human rights in India and the Indian Government seems to have bid good bye to its constitution which speaks so eloquently but the fundamental rights of the citizens of the country. Amnesty International issued a report accusing the Indian Govt of condoning routine violence in its police and security forces. The state govts. and the general public at large are quite complacent about the atrocities inflicted by the security forces on the minorities in India.
In a report published by Canada’s leading daily, the ‘Toronto Star’ it’s Indian correspondent Peter Good speed lucidly brings out the poor record of Human rights in India. Thousands of terrified Muslims in Bombay insist that the Indian police sided with Hindu mobs during the two week orgy of violence, looting and murder which left hundreds of dead in the Streets.
In the North Eastern province of Assam, there have been gang rapes of prisoners in Army camps which made the High Court of the province pass a decree forbidding the security forces from taking women prisoners.
In Kashmir, residents of the town of Sopore are mourning the cold blooded murder of over 50 people gunned down and burnt to death by the security forces. In a five hour orgy of violence and terror, the security forces went mad and indulged in a mayhem of violence on unarmed civilians burning and killing mercilessly. Scores of dead and over 150 buildings of this small town were blazed to the ground to revenge the death of two security personnel in an encounter with Kashmiri militants.
In Punjab, there endless stories of police brutalities wrought on the people of this hapless state which has become of cremation ground of thousands of Sikhs put to death in a systematic genocidal Operation pursued by the Government of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao. Under the present regime of Beant Singh and K.P.S.Gill both of whom have got nicknamed “the butchers of Punjab” no Sikh feels safe in Punjab. People are taken away from their homes and eliminated by the death squads of Beant and K P.S.Gill, The police always report these deaths as having occurred in police encounters. A typical incident reported by Peter Good speed in the ‘Toronto Star’. In Punjab the family of Lakhvinder Singh has accused police death squads of murdering the 30yearold farmer in a “fake encounter with Sikh terrorists.” The Punjab police say Singh who had been held for four months on attempted murder and weapon charges died accidently in the crossfire during a night shootout with Sikh militants as he was about to show them secret arms cache.” Such incidents are commonplace and reported daily in the Indian newspapers.
Indian Human rights organizations are ignored by the Government officials and they accuse them of engage rations. There has been a serious Criticism of the Indian Government record by Amnesty International which listed 415 cases where people were allegedly tortured and died in police custody. The report says, “Torturing suspects has become a part of the polices daily routine in India” further, “Hundreds if not thousands of people have died from beatings in recent years and women are regularly raped in jail cells.”
The Indian Government tries to dismiss the allegations of the World Govts. and Amnesty as “sweeping generalizations” and insist, “where allegations have been borne out prompt and exemplary disciplinary action has been taken against those held responsible. A special unit of the Home Affairs Ministry has been assigned to investigate Amnesty International’s allegations. However, Human rights activists in India regard the Govt’s new concern with deep skepticism and feel that the Administration is simply reacting to foreign pressure fearing cut backs in foreign aid. Right now no one can put much faith in the govt’s promises to police itself. What we need are independent inquiries held in public with clear tons of reference in order to restore confidence the system. Otherwise, there will continue to be no accountability and the Govt. will get away with murder.”
(Extracts from a report in ‘Toronto Star’)
Article extracted from this publication >> February 12, 1993
