The US Department of State in its report has painted a grim picture of human rights of Muslims in India and in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The State Department in the chapter on India in the “2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices” released on Tuesday noted that Muslims in India are vulnerable to communal violence and discrimination.
The report maintained that since 2019, the IIOJK authorities have booked more than 2,300 persons in approximately 1,200 cases under draconian law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. It pointed out that in 2021, Manipur and IIOJK saw an increase in the application of the Act. The report observed that draconian laws like the UAPA and Public Safety Act (PSA) were arbitrary. The UAPA and PSA give the authorities the power to detain persons for months without charge.
“Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir allowed detainees access to a lawyer during interrogation, but human rights groups documented that police routinely employed arbitrary detention and denied detainees access to lawyers and medical attention,” it added.
The report made mention about discrimination against minorities in India, instances of extrajudicial killings, degrading treatment or punishment by police and prison officials and arbitrary arrest and detention by the government authorities among other things.
“Despite government efforts to address abuses and corruption, a lack of accountability for official misconduct persisted at all levels of government, contributing to widespread impunity,” it said.
The report also flagged violation of human rights in arrests of activists in connection to the Bhima Koregaon case, cases against Kashmiri journalists under the black law, Public Safety Act, and detentions under the UAPA.
The report noted incidents where Muslim men were paraded in public and forced to chant Hindu religious slogan “Jai Shri Ram” in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur and police shootings during eviction of villagers belonging to the community in Assam’s Darrang district last year. “Muslim communities continued during the year with cases of physical abuse, discrimination, forcible displacement, and lynching for suspected cow smuggling,” it stated.—KMS
