The Tribune – Human rights violation; Dal Khalsa writes to US watchdog

Jalandhar, December 10 Marking the 63rd World Human Rights Day, the Dal Khalsa has invited the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) to probe the “continuing abuse of human rights in Punjab”.

In a six-page missive addressed to the international watchdog’s office in New York, the Dal Khalsa has listed several instances of custodial deaths and violations of rights of political dissenters and common citizens over the past one year.

It also highlighted several incidents of denial of civil liberties to common citizens. These included incidents of high-handedness by the authorities on protesting pharmacists, ETT teachers, unemployed linemen, female multi-purpose health workers, unemployed B.Ed. teachers, veterinary inspectors, farmers and employees of a sugar mill, besides Sikh radicals.

“Such incidents widely reported in the media have failed to elicit any reaction from the law-makers in the state or the Union government,” states the letter.

“We are particularly concerned about the prospects of retired Punjab police officers having checkered past jumping into the political fray, reads the letter. (TNS)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111211/punjab.htm#12

The Hindu – India’s rights record dismal: report

“Increase in deployment of security forces to deal with uprisings, political dissent”

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, 11 December 2011. Six months before India’s human rights gets reviewed at the United Nations, the Working Group on Human Rights (WGHR) in India released a report painting a dismal picture of its rights record.

The U.N. Human Rights Council examines the rights record of its members on a rotational basis every four years through a peer review process, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Reports by the civil society, U.N. agencies and the country under review are relied upon during the UPR. India’s review is due in May next year.

“The report presents a very bleak scenario of the actual state of human rights across India. The government has shown positive signs in dealing with the U.N. human rights system in the past year. We hope that this change extends to the UPR review in 2012 and beyond. Nothing but a radical shift in economic, security and social policy is needed to meet India’s national and international human rights commitments,” said the former U.N. Special Rapporteur and WGHR convener, Miloon Kothari.

“The last four years have seen a marked increase in the deployment of security forces and draconian laws to deal with socio-economic uprisings and political dissent. Conflict is no longer confined to Kashmir and the northeast but also many parts of central India. In all these areas, human rights violations are overlooked and even condoned. The legal framework and practice have entrenched the culture of impunity. People are increasingly losing faith in systems of justice and governance,” cautioned noted human rights lawyer Vrinda Grover.

She felt the military approach and the ongoing conflicts contradicted India’s stated position in the U.N. that it did not face armed conflict and pointed out that militarisation was also being used to forward the state’s ‘development’ agenda.

“Today, our institutions are in disrepair and failing our needs. Our police need urgent reform. Our bar bench and our myriad commissions need much more vigour, commitment and accountability. Every moment reforms are neglected, thousands of tragedies occur and we cannot build a nation on that,” according to Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative Executive Director Maja Daruwala.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2704704.ece