Why did the UN committee urge India to address ‘hate speech’ and ‘hate crimes’?
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UNCERD) has expressed grave concerns regarding human rights in India, citing reports of extra-judicial killings and the targeting of ethnic and religious minorities. The committee also criticized the 'Special Intensive Revision' process for allegedly removing millions of voters from registers.
Why it matters
This report brings international scrutiny to India's domestic human rights record and electoral processes, potentially impacting diplomatic relations.
The story so far: On August 25, in a press note, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UNCERD) issued the findings on India at the end of a review of the country’s recent human rights track record. This session of the committee held the review of Finland, Honduras, Kuwait, and India. The UNCERD said that it was “gravely concerned” about “reports of large-scale violations perpetrated by law enforcement officials against ethnic, and ethno-religious groups indigenous and Tribal peoples, including Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, particularly Dalits and non-citizens”. The committee said that India’s law enforcement officials had carried out “extra-judicial killings, arbitrary and prolonged detention without due process, torture, ill-treatment and sexual violence” against these communities. India responded with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) saying the Indian delegation which was led by Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta had “already rejected the sweeping generalisations”.
The article centers on the UN's critical findings and the allegations of systemic discrimination, reflecting a human-rights-focused editorial stance.
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