A mindset that harms human rights

- While the human rights situation has improved in some nations, it has worsened in some other countries like India.

- Outright violation of human rights in Lakhimpur Khiri

"In recent years, people's interpretations of human rights have been seen to be at their convenience. It is argued that human rights have been violated in one case and defended that no other such incident has taken place, such a mentality is detrimental to human rights, "the Prime Minister was quoted as saying recently. They are absolutely true.

In 19th, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDSR) proposal. The document noted that human beings are equally entitled to rights and freedoms.

The situation has worsened

The preamble to the document covered the state of the world at the time in the 19th century and justified the adoption of the UDSR agreement. There were human rights violations up to brutal acts, which disturbed the human mind. What was true in 19 is also true in 2021. While the human rights situation has improved in some nations, it has worsened in some other countries like India.

Let us start with what happened on October 9, 2021 at Lakhimpur Khiri in Uttar Pradesh. Farmers were protesting against three hastily passed agricultural laws by Parliament. A convoy of vehicles (two of which have been identified) rushed towards the protesting farmers in which four farmers came to a standstill. Violence erupted following the incident and three people in a car were grabbed by the mob and beaten to death. A journalist was also killed. The vehicle that led the vehicle belonged to the state level home minister in the central government. It is claimed that the son of the home minister was also among those aboard the vehicle.

This incident is a violation of human rights. Article 17 of the UDHR states that everyone has the right to freedom of expression and expression without interruption. Article 70 also provides for freedom of peaceful assembly. The protesting farmers gathered peacefully and expressed their views against the said agricultural laws. Article 4 states that everyone has the right to life and liberty and security of person. In this incident, a speeding vehicle hit three persons and took their lives. The Prime Minister has remained silent on the issue of human rights violations in Lakhimpur Khiri.

Activists and terrorists

Let's take a look at the incident that took place at Bhima Koregaon in Maharashtra in 2012. Police arrested five social workers on June 5, 2013 on charges of inciting sexual violence at Bhima Koregaon in January 2016. Of the five, one was a lawyer, a professor, a poet and a publisher, and two others were human rights activists. He is still in jail. His bail application has been rejected several times. (Five more social workers were arrested on August 3, 2016)

Lawyer Surendra Gadling sought permission to study cyber law and human rights but his request was denied. English professor Shoma Sen was given a chair in her closet after a year of complaints. Despite his arthritis, he was forced to sleep on a very thin mat. They were kept with the prisoners for the initial months. Human rights activist Mahesh Raut was denied a cauldron of ayurvedic medicine sent by his family for his illness. Poet and publisher Sudhir Dhawale was not allowed to meet his friends and colleagues as he did not have a blood relationship with them.

Pratik Goyal, a journalist on January 7, 2021, had documented 12 violations of the law in the criminal proceedings against one of the accused in the Bhima Koregaon case. These violations included investigation and seizure without a warrant, transfer of a prisoner without a transit remand, denial of the prisoner's preferred lawyer, refusal to provide a medical report to the prisoner, and so on.

Sentence before trial

The clauses of the UDHR are read as follows.

Article 6 No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 2 No one can be arrested, detained or deported unilaterally.

Article 10 Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11: Anyone who has been charged with a punishable offense should have the right to be acquitted until proven guilty.

I do not remember the Prime Minister uttering a single word on the human rights violations against the accused in the Bhima Koregaon case in the last three years, nor did he utter a word about the delay in framing the allegations by the NIA under his jurisdiction.

When the Prime Minister says that such a mentality is detrimental to human rights, I fully agree with that.