Abuses by the police and security forces are the most significant human rights problem in India, the US said on Thursday while raising concerns by civil society over the “failure” of the Gujarat gover
Abuses by the police and security forces are the most significant human rights problem in India, the US said on Thursday while raising concerns by civil society over the “failure” of the Gujarat government to hold accountable those responsible for the 2002 riots in the state.
“The most significant human rights problems involved the police and security force abuses, including extra-judicial killings, torture, and rape; corruption remained widespread and contributed to ineffective responses to crimes, including those against women, children and members of scheduled castes or tribes; and societal violence based on gender, religious affiliation, and caste or tribe,” the US state department said in its annual 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.
The report was released by US secretary of state John Kerry at the headquarters of the State Department here.
“The frequently grim examples detailed in this report strengthen our resolve to promote fundamental freedoms, to support human rights defenders and to document and promote accountability for violations of human rights,” Mr Kerry wrote in the preface of the report.
In its detailed Congressional-mandated report on India, the state department continues to raise its concerns about the victims of Gujarat riots not receiving justice so far. “Civil society activists continued to express concern about the Gujarat government’s failure to hold accountable those responsible for the 2002 communal violence in Gujarat that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 persons, the majority of whom were Muslim,” the report said.
