Caste-based discrimination

by Avinash Pandey “Forceful sex on menopausal woman not rape-Delhi High Court” read a news item (title changed now though the URL remains the same) on one media group website. “Delhi High Court Says ‘Forceful Sex’ Wasn’t Rape”, cried another news outlet. Together, the media coverage on the case has opened the floodgates for the […]

by Avinash Pandey Photo Courtesy M. Srinath, The Hindu No, the man pictured here has not entered the gutter as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much hyped Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or “clean India campaign”. Unlike the ad rush that shows posing with the broom, he could not have entered the gutter to preach the […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information about systemic discrimination against tribals and other marginalised communities affected by cyclone Hudhud. The discrimination, also witnessed in relief work in the wake of other recent disasters in India, includes tribals not being disbursed relief material earmarked for them, and the losses suffered not being […]

The recent escalation in atrocities committed on Dalits is surprising even for Bihar, a province notorious for crimes against members of the community. The only things worse than the state’s failure to stop the crimes are the reasons the crimes are being committed. Can one really burn alive a 15-year-old child for the “crime” of […]

by Avinash Pandey They did not speak Kannada, the language of the state they live in. They, therefore, were “legitimate” targets of violence in a city that has benefitted the most from India’s shift from Nehruvian Socialism to free market economy. The fact that they contribute to the city, and the province’s income, meant nothing. […]

by Basil Fernando – Right Livelihood Award Laureate 2014 (This is an article issued on the occasion of receiving the Right Livelihood Award-2014) In 1989 when I learned that some people, due to malice or some other reason unknown to me, had entered my name into a list of persons to be disappeared, a stream […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information from the Samaj Chetna Manch Dabhaura about the demolition drive against Dalit and tribal settlements in Chhipiya and Khaiaha Nala, In Java block of Rewa District, Madhya Pradesh. The AHRC has been informed that the administration has threatened them with eviction against its own repeated […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Kamal Singhi, a journalist based in Indore, about continuing social and economic ostracism of Dalits in Sitapat village of Mhow Tehsil in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The ostracism that began some 17 days ago has culminated into the locally powerful landlords cutting off the […]

During the three days of Eid holidays about three dozens people were drowned at the beaches of Karachi, the majority drowned at a beach run by Military, its commercial outlets and Clifton Cantonment, which are run directly under the Pakistan military. . Four persons drowned at two different beaches that were under the city government. […]

 by Dr. Bidyanath Koirala हेराइ र बुझाइ बस्तु हेरेर दृष्टिकोण बन्छ ।  भौतिकवादी त्यसै भन्छौ । दृष्टिकोण बदले बस्तु बेग्लै बुझिन्छ ।  मनोवादी त्यसै भन्छौ ।  बस्तु र दृष्टिकोणहरुबीच अन्तरक्रिया गरे एकल बस्तुको बहुरुप बुझछौं ।  एक नै वहु हो र वहु नै एक हौँ भन्ने (पभलभतजभष्कतक) त्यसै भन्छाँै ।  दलितलाई बुझनेहरु पनि यही कोटीमा […]

by Avinash Pandey “If she had been killed on a street corner in this village, would you even be here?” was the question put to journalist Mehreen Zahra-Malik, by the husband of Farzana Iqbal, a young woman bludgeoned to death in front of the Lahore High Court. Probably not, as violence against women is not […]

by Anjuman Ara Begum* Sexual violence continues in India unabated. The December 2012 gang rape and subsequent death of a 23 year old woman led to a shift in discourse on sexual violence in India. For the first time, the blame shifted from victims to perpetrators, fostering changes in certain colonial era criminal laws. However, […]

Since India’s general election, Uttar Pradesh has witnessed sharp escalation of sexual violence and lawlessness. The rape of a session court judge in her official residence, guarded by the Provincial Armed Constabulary round the clock, highlights the extent of violence and lawlessness in the state. There is no indication that the Uttar Pradesh state government, […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learnt about the death of two sanitation workers in Hyderabad. They have died while cleaning a gutter, a practice outlawed by the Supreme Court of India. These deaths follow others – one sanitation worker in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, and three in Gujarat – that have taken […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Manoj Singh, a local journalist working with Gorakhpur News Line, regarding the deadly disease Encephalitis, which has struck again in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The toll has already climbed to 60, with monsoons – during which the disease spreads quickly – still distant. Despite […]

Thanks to promising monsoons, India is all set for a bumper harvest. This seemingly good news, however, has a caveat to it. To begin with, an open procurement policy based on government announced minimum support price the government is duty bound to buy all foodgrain that reaches its Krishak Mandis (farmers’ markets). The Food Corporation […]

The Rajasthan board of secondary education has recently announced its intent to include a chapter on the life and achievements of Mr. Narendra Modi, the Prime Ministerial candidate of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in its school textbooks. Following this, the Madhya Pradesh state government has announced the same. The announcements have no shock value […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following open letter from Irom Sharmila Chanu. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ——- AHRC-FOL-005-2014 May 29, 2014 An Open Letter from Irom Sharmila Chanu forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji,  South Block, […]

In February 2014, the Government of India decided to constitute a committee to study and frame remedial measures to address the concerns of citizens hailing from North East India residing in different parts of the county. This is an initiative to understand the layers of discrimination faced by persons from the North East. Notably, the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information concerning the kidnapping and rape of four dalit girls in the north Indian state of Haryana. The crime was committed to force dalits from exercising their legitimate right to equal treatment with dignity, and the local village headman is alleged to be one of […]