Almost every constitution of the world protects and provides basic human rights to its individuals. Indian constitution came into force on 26th January 1950 with the most elaborate fundamental laws that were adopted and the preamble to the constitution declares India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic. The term democratic denotes that the government gets its authority from the will of the people. It indicates that all individuals are equal irrespective of race, religion, language, sex and culture.
The preamble to the Indian constitution also pledges justice, social, economic and political, liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship, equality of status and of opportunity and fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation to aid its citizens. It is sad to say that it just remains written documents but has not been implemented so far in the Indian state.
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The real face of India
The recent human rights watch report 2022 has exposed India’s real face to the world by highlighting the Indian authority’s repressive laws to silence critics by curbing the freedom of expression of minorities and especially Muslims. Police and security forces in India used excessive force against members of minority communities. Courts undermined the right to a fair trial and delayed hearing crucial cases involving violations of human rights. In the context of Covid-19, the lack of transparency over the distribution of funds increased and the right to health was undermined. Caste-based discrimination and violence against Muslims and Dalits continued unabated.
The report expressed concern over excessive use of force in Kashmir during a cordon and search operations, resulting in civilian deaths as well as new allegations of torture and deaths in custody. The international human rights organizations have realized that the human rights situation in India and especially Kashmir continues to deteriorate. India should accept the findings of the report and invite an independent investigation to help end serious abuses in Kashmir. The report further highlights that Modi-led BJP government has continued to intimidate and harass journalists and news outlets critical of the government through politically motivated lawsuits and tax raids.
On 13 April 2022, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concerns on the “rise in human rights abuses” in India he said that we are monitoring some recent developments in India, including a rise in human rights abuses by government, Police, and prison officials.” He made the statement at a joint press briefing with United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
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India has been on the radar of international organizations due to its Human Right Abuses (HRA) for a long. The statement had come amid a wave of anti-Muslim campaigns in India, targeting women who wore Hijabs in educational institutions, meat sellers, Muslim traders selling their wares at temple complexes and Muslim taxi drivers. Since Modi came into power, right-wing Hindu groups have launched attacks on minorities. It also indicates that U.S and India are close allies and strategic partners but the United States is aware of India’s inhuman acts on the mainland of India and especially in IIOJK.
India is continuously violating all international laws and conventions in India illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and people are even deprived of their basic human rights in the territory. In brief, India should accept the findings of the Human Rights Watch report and invite an independent investigation to help end serious abuses in Kashmir. The international human rights organizations have realized that the human rights situation in India continuously deteriorating. Therefore, India should peacefully resolve of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute through the implementation of the UNSC resolutions. The international community also needs to acknowledge and take a stance against routine harassment of and genocidal threats against minorities and especially Muslims in the country.
The writer is an Islamabad-based analyst and can be reached at sarahamidkhan21dec@gmail.com. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.