UN Committee expresses 'grave concern' over India's discrimination culture
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has expressed 'grave concern' over India's widespread discrimination against minority ethnic and ethno-religious groups, Dalits, and non-citizens. The report highlights issues such as law enforcement violence, manual scavenging, hate speech, mass refoulement of Rohingya Muslims, and deprivation of citizenship via the National Register of Citizens. CERD also noted India's use of laws like FCRA and UAPA to target civil society and its failure to provide updated information on violence allegations, criticizing India's stance that caste bias is outside the convention's scope.
Key Points
- CERD has noted 'grave concern' regarding reports of law enforcement violence against minorities, Dalits, and non-citizens in India.
- India has not provided detailed information on inquiries and sanctions related to allegations of such violence.
- CERD allows all forms of discrimination based on inherited status, contradicting India's claim that caste bias falls outside Article 1 of the convention.
- Concerns include manual cleaning of sewers, hate speech, Rohingya Muslim refoulement, and the use of laws to hamper civil society organizations.
- The lack of disaggregated data and slow release of NCRB data actively impede independent checks on India's claims about fighting discrimination.
Exam Facts
- The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) conducted its first review of India since 2007.
- India ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in 1968.
- The National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Special Intensive Revisions of electoral rolls are mentioned.
- Laws like FCRA, UAPA, AFSPA, and PMLA are cited as instruments used against civil society organizations.
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