UN reviews India's human rights performance

India's National Report on human rights came up for review at the UN Human Rights Council, with member countries raising questions on AFSPA, honour crimes, tribal land acquisition, discrimination of minorities, bill against communal violence among others.

The second four-yearly Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a mechanism to evaluate the human rights records of the UN's 192 member nations, began in Geneva on Monday. India is one of the 14 countries that are being reviewed at the 13th session of the HRC.

The country is being represented by a delegation headed by attorney general GE Vahanvati.

While noting that the Universal Periodic Review was a useful vehicle for promotion and protection of human rights in member countries, Vahanvati declared that India will accept all "positive suggestions and constructive criticism in the right spirit".

"The challenges we face are by no means small. There are threats to the fabric of our country. Our country has been the target of terrorist activities over the last three decades. Terrorism and insurgency posed existential threats to us. Left-wing extremism and violence is an internal challenge which is being met with resolve coupled with compassion and people-oriented development," Vahanvati said in his speech.

"While there is considerable ground which needs to be covered, the progress in the last few years on some of the important indicators has been appreciable, given the enormity of the task which we were faced with," he said.

According to reports, the most common query from the working group of the HRC was on torture and the threat faced by human rights defenders in India.

Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland and Slovenia have raised queries on either both or one of these issues.

"Denmark has queries on death penalty and manual scavenging while Germany has additional questions on discrimination of minorities and access to education and healthcare for 'underprivileged minorities'," the First Post reported.

England has raised questions on racial violence and the laws and bills on religious conversion. The Vatican City and Italy quizzed on anti-conversion laws that are in force in some states. Several UN member countries reportedly also inquired on the status of the proposed law to prevent communal violence.

The National Report submitted by India meanwhile is reported to have been prepared after consultations held with stakeholders consisting of several nongovernmental organisations and experts involved in human rights related activities.

"India has broadened the traditional narrow approach towards equality and proceeded on the basis of a positive mandate to eradicate backwardness in any form, social, economic and educational," the report states.

Boasting of the initiatives taken in recent years, the report goes on to enumerate the enactment of various bills such as The National Green Tribunal Act, The Protection of Women
against Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill, Right to Education Act, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, the Right to Information Act, among others.

The 22-page report concludes with the statement that in spite of a number of serious challenges, India remains "deeply committed to human rights and has taken significant strides towards these goals".