The administration, headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), persisted in subjecting religious and other minorities, especially Muslims, to institutionalized discrimination and stigma. Supporters of the BJP attacked designated groups violently more frequently.
Bias in government-affiliated institutions, including the judiciary and constitutional bodies like the National Human Rights Commission, was a reflection of the government’s Hindu majoritarian ideology. Authorities used politically motivated criminal accusations, including terrorism, to imprison those who exposed or criticized government crimes, intensifying their attempts to stifle civil society activists and independent media.
The government harassed political opponents, civil rights organizations, and others by claiming financial problems and enforcing restrictions regarding foreign funding.
Freedom of expression and Kashmir
Violence persisted three years after the government divided Jammu and Kashmir into two federally ruled areas and withdrew the region’s constitutional autonomy. As of October, 229 people have been reported killed, including 28 civilians, 29 members of the security forces, and 172 suspected terrorists. Local Kashmiris expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that several people killed in gunfights, who were identified as terrorists, were actually civilians, but no independent inquiry was made public.
Attacks were made against the Sikh and Hindu minority populations residing in the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley. In Ma, there were seven targeted killings, four of which included Pandits, or Hindus from Kashmir. Three Muslim police officers made up the other group. Following the shooting of Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit working for the government, Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir Valley went on an indefinite strike, asking to be relocated.
Security Forces’ Impunity
The National Human Rights Commission recorded 147 fatalities in police custody, 1,882 deaths in judicial detention, and 119 suspected extrajudicial executions in the first nine months of 2022. Torture and extrajudicial killing allegations persisted. In some northeastern states, the Indian government lowered the number of districts under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA).
It did, however, continue to be in place in Jammu and Kashmir and 43 of 90 districts in four northeastern states, thereby shielding security force members from prosecution even in cases of grave human rights crimes. Along the Bangladeshi border, the Border Security Force often targeted Indian citizens, undocumented immigrants, and livestock traffickers from Bangladesh with excessive force.
Arbitrary detentions:
Under harsh and oppressive legislation, the government clamped down on opponents by using arbitrary arrests including those made without following due process. Jignesh Mevani, an independent Dalit member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, was re-arrested, just a day after an Assamese court had granted him bail. His first arrest occurred after he sent a tweet urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep Gujarat peaceful in the face of religious violence. Prominent human rights advocate Teesta Setalvad, together with former law enforcement officers Sanjeev Bhatt and RB Sreekumar, were taken into custody by the government on allegations of evidence fabrication and forgery.
The accusations seemed to be retaliation for their assistance to Gujarat riot victims in 2002. Police in the nation’s capital, New Delhi, detained Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of the independent fact-checking website ALT News, on suspicion of “hurting religious sentiments” and “promoting enmity” on Twitter for criticizing growing censorship and protesting discrimination against minorities.
Women’s and Girls’ Rights
Alarmingly high rates of violence against women and girls persisted; 31,677 rape cases 86 incidents per day on average were reported. The BJP-led Karnataka state’s Supreme Court was unable to reach a decision regarding the wearing of headscarves, or hijabs, by Muslim female students in school settings.
This was due to the opinions of two justices on the matter. A month after the state government issued an order in support of discriminatory prohibitions against students wearing the hijab in class at various government-run educational institutions, the state high court upheld the government order. The Supreme Court issued a progressive decision on abortion rights in September, granting women of all marital statuses and non-cisgender individuals access to legal abortion. Additionally, it made more rape survivors including those who were raped in marriage accessible.
Right to Education
The nation’s educational institutions started to reopen and restart lessons after being closed and reopened several times since the Covid-19 outbreak. Millions of children’s educations were severely disrupted by the school closures, which disproportionately affected girls and kids from underprivileged and marginalized communities. Because they were unable to access online education, these kids were more likely to drop out, lose their education, get married when still underage, or work as children.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Tighter restrictions, arbitrary incarceration, violent attacks frequently incited by political figures, and an increased likelihood of forced repatriation are all faced by Rohingya Muslim refugees in India. A Rohingya lady was forcefully deported to Myanmar by the Indian government, even though the Manipur State Human Rights Commission had issued an injunction to halt the deportation. Additionally, India did not do enough to defend the rights of Myanmarese refugees who were escaping fresh hostilities between armed groups and the Myanmar military.