India fails to check human rights violations

It stated that the abuses committed by security forces continued in 2011, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, northeast and Maoist affected areas and India terribly failed in repealing or revising the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which provides widespread police powers in disturbed areas. 

 

"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh‘s call for ‘zero tolerance’ of abuses by the armed forces has been undercut by the near zero progress in holding the abusers responsible,” report stated.

 

The global organisation added that the Maoist menace also continued in the country last year with killings of nearly 250 civilians and 100 security personnel.

 

The report also highlighted that the government has promised a thorough inquiry into the discovery of over 2,500 unmarked graves in the state.

 

A police investigation in 2011 by the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission  found 2,730 bodies dumped into unmarked graves at 38 sites in north Kashmir. At least 574 were identified as the bodies of local Kashmiris.

 

Human Rights Watch said that despite repeated claims of progress by the government, there was no significant improvement in access to health care and education. 

 

"The 2011 census data revealed a further decline in India\\\’s female/male sex ratio, pointing to the failure of laws aimed at reducing sex-selective abortions. A series of honour killings and rapes rocked the country in 2011 but there has been no effective action to prevent and effectively prosecute such violence," it said. 

 

The report also said that activists working with rural employment gurantee scheme and right to information law came under increasing attack, facing threats, beatings and even death.

 

In the international arena too HRW said India left a lot to be desired. India served on both the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council but it chose to remain silent on atrocities in other nations like Syria, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Burma.