2012 disappointing for human rights State agencies must be held to account

Your Right To Know
Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Editorial

In the last year of its tenure, one of the key issues the government must be attentive to is the deteriorating law and order situation in the country.

According to rights organisation Odhikar's Human Rights Report 2012, the picture is far from positive. Rates of violation of women and children and the number of people killed following rape was high, as was the number of dowry-related incidents. A record number of attacks on minority and indigenous communities, women and journalists were reported; 132 people were killed in mob beatings and 38 by Indian Border Security Force. Also, 169 people, according to Odhikar, and 84 people, according to another rights organisation, Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), were killed in political confrontations last year.

Perhaps the most alarming trend, however, was in the rise of crimes allegedly committed by the state's law enforcing agencies themselves -- enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings -- followed by an apparent lack of accountability. While Odhikar has put the number of enforced disappearances linked to the state at 24 -- up from three in 2009, 18 in 2010 and slightly down from 30 in 2011 -- ASK has found 56 cases overall of unexplained disappearances. Odhikar put the number of extrajudicial killings at 70 while ASK put the figure at 91. The fact that these trends have not only continued but even increased over the years demonstrates a culture of impunity for those in positions of power, reinforced by an unfortunate denial mode of a government which has failed to recognise and address the issue.

We strongly urge the government to take up the law and order situation -- particularly where its own agents may be the culprits -- without further delay, carry out thorough and impartial investigations and provide credible results whereby those responsible are appropriately punished. If the government is to gain the confidence of its people, providing them with a sense of security is crucial.

Some important watch bodies and we as media have been laying emphasis on the acute need for improving upon human rights situation in the country but, sadly, the government appears to be unmoved. In the final year of its tenure it will hopefully move up things on this front.