The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is a political party that has contested elections harnessing the Dalit votes. The BSP’s woman leader, Ms. Mayawati, a dalit herself, has been claiming that her party and the Uttar Pradesh state government she leads, is actively involved in trying to meliorate the living condition of the Dalit community.
The BSP, [...]

Tags: Caste, India, Poverty

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The President of India  should reject new amendments to anti-terror laws which would violate international human rights treaties, said Amnesty International today, in response to India’s speedy introduction of new legislation after the November attacks in Mumbai city in which more than 170 people died.
The organization calls upon the President, Indian authorities and lawmakers to [...]

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Condemning the attacks that killed at least 175 people in Mumbai, Human Rights Watch has called upon the governments of India and Pakistan to cooperate in a prompt and thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators and planners of the attacks and hold them accountable.
Beginning on November 25, 2008, at least 10 unidentified gunmen attacked two [...]

Tags: India, Pakistan

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Carry Out Rights Commission’s Recommendations
The Indian government should take immediate steps to carry out the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission to end human rights abuses committed by all parties to the conflict in southern Chhattisgarh state, Human Rights Watch wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The state-backed anti-Maoist vigilante movement [...]

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The Andhra Pradesh state government should prosecute police officials responsible for the torture of 21 Muslims after a series of bomb blasts in Hyderabad in May and August 2007.
After the blasts, the authorities detained approximately 100 Muslims for questioning. Of those later charged, 21 were released. On November 13, the Andhra Pradesh government admitted that [...]

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As part of Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty, today we publish a report about the Dalits of India. The Dalits or “Untouchables” of Hindu society are at the bottom rung of India’s complex hierarchical system. Dalits are denied many of their  basic human rights, restricted to menial jobs and discriminated against in the education system [...]

Tags: Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty, India, Poverty

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The deliberations of senior Indian politicians during the National Integration Council Meeting held in New Delhi on 13 October contradict India’s positions in international forums like the UN. The council of ministers who met in New Delhi this week resolved that the country will protect, at all costs, the foundations of secularism, equality, social, economic [...]

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Government Should Heed Own Commission and Repeal Laws Fostering Impunity
The Indian government should fully prosecute army, paramilitary, and police personnel responsible for killings and torture in the northeastern state of Manipur, Human Rights Watch said in a new released today.
Human rights violations by Indian security forces have fueled the armed opposition in Manipur. [...]

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Rehabilitate Children in Armed Groups
Indian security forces and Naxalite rebels should immediately end the use of children in the conflict in Chhattisgarh state in central India, Human Rights Watch said today. Using children under age 18 in armed operations places them at risk of injury and death and violates international law.
All parties to the Chhattisgarh [...]

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50th Anniversary of Law Allowing Shoot-to-Kill, Other Serious Abuses
India’s Armed Forces Special Powers Act has been used to violate fundamental freedoms for 50 years and should be repealed, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
Link to HRW

Tags: India

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