Matters India Reporter
Geneva: The Government in India fails to prevent espousal of anti-conversion acts, UN is told
“The Government of India fails to prevent the adoption anti-conversion acts prevail in seven states such as Odisha, Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand and Gujarat that restricts the rights of minorities to practice, propagate and profess their religion,” Manoj Kumar Nayak, a human rights activist from Odisha, India told the United Nations.
He was responding on behalf of Franciscans International during the ongoing 36th session of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations in Geneva on Sept 21, the day of India’s third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Adoption.
The UPP takes place once in a four years. Franciscans International is one of the official accrediated NGOs with the UN that addresses human rights among others.
“We appreciate the Government of India’s acceptance and commitment to ensure that laws are fully and consistently enforced to provide adequate protection for members of religious minorities and other vulnerable populations in its response to proposed UPR recommendations,” Nayak said.
However, many human rights organizations and civil society groups observe the environment of intolerance and fear do exist among the religious minorities; as well as practioners of freedom of expressions, belief, thoughts and assembly in the country. Despite the commitement to implement the recommendations from first and second UPR, the Government of India has not formulated a comprehensive law to prevent communal violence against the religious minorities.
In addition there are documented data about the increasing of criminalization of minorities, dalits and adivasis for eating beef and withdraw cow slaughter acts that are in one form or others almost in many states of India. Similarly, we also document the increase of hate speech delivered by State officials (Governors, Chief Ministers, Union Ministers and other persons holding constitutional positions) which lead to the incitement of violence and discrimiminaton against religious minorities, in contrary to their responsibility to protect them, said Nayak.
“We urge the Government of India to take appropriate and visible actions against incidents of mob-lynching of relgious minorities and the human rights defenders. The federal government needs to ensure stringent action against all those who deliver hate speech with the intention of inciting violence and hatred against religious minorities,” the human rights activist said.
It should facilitate to reopen 315 cases and ensure criminal justice delivery system functioned by reopening closed cases without any convictions and enhance appropriate compensations in the anti-christian violence, Odisha in 2007-08. It must take all the necessary measures to stop alarming trends of discriminations, xenophobia and related intolerance and create confidence among all the persons in the country.
“Finally, Indian government should delete paragraph 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Presidential Order 1950 because it does not include affirmative action for Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims,” he said.