Since India’s August 5, 2019 decision of revoking Jammu Kashmir’s special status, four Special Rapporteurs from the United Nations (UN) have made public their third communication expressing “grave concern over alleged excessive use of force, ill-treatment during arrests and detentions.”
On May 4, 2020, the UN Special Rapporteurs on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, had forwarded a joint communication to India.
After 60 days of response time, the joint communication statement was made public.
The communication stated, “We would like to bring to the attention of Your Excellency’s Government information we have received concerning the continued deterioration of human rights conditions in J&K following severe restrictions imposed after 5 August 2019, in particular citing arbitrary detentions, violations to the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment and rights of persons belonging to minorities.”
The UN Special Rapporteurs further stated that there was no response from India over these communications.
“We regret that no response has been received to either communication, in particular the former. We remain deeply concerned about the ongoing human rights violations,” the communication report added.
The UN Special Rapporteurs called on the Indian government “to conduct a prompt and impartial investigation, if it has not done so already, into the allegations of arbitrary killings, torture and ill-treatment and to prosecute suspected perpetrators under articles 6 and of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and articles 7 and 12 of the Committee Against Torture (CAT)”.
The first communication by the UN was forwarded to India on August 16, 2019, stating “restrictions on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly”.
The second communication by the UN was sent to India on February 27, 2019, stating the central government’s “mass crackdown targeting those expressing dissent against the decision taken”