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The U.S. State Department, in its 2023 Human Rights Report (HRR), a country-wise compilation of human rights practices, has flagged “credible reports” of more than a dozen different kinds of human rights abuses in India, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrest or detention, torture to coerce confessions, repeated imposition of Internet shutdowns and blocked telecommunications, surveillance of civil society activists and journalists, intimidation and Internet trolling of human rights defenders, punishment of family members for alleged offences by a relative, and “crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting members of ethnic and caste minorities”, among others.
The report, released by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, highlighted that “the outbreak of ethnic conflict between the Kuki and Meitei ethnic groups” resulted in “significant human rights abuses”. It also noted that “the government took minimal credible steps or action to identify and punish officials who may have committed human rights abuses”.
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Stating that “there were several reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings, during the year, the report pointed out that “the country registered 813 cases of extrajudicial killings between 2016-2022, with the most reported in Chhattisgarh, followed by Uttar Pradesh.”
In a section titled ‘Transnational repression’, the HRR referred to reports of the Indian government engaging in repression of “journalists, members of diaspora, civil society activists, and human rights defenders”. The report, observing that “other governments and diaspora communities” have alleged that the Indian government has “killed persons or used violence or threats of violence against individuals in other countries, for reprisal”, cited the statements of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that his government was probing allegations of a link between Indian government agents and the killing of a Sikh Canadian citizen, Harjeet Singh Nijjar.
In the section titled ‘Governmental Posture Towards International and Non-governmental Monitoring and Investigation of Alleged Human Rights Abuses’, the report highlighted the government’s cancellation of “registration certificates of 1,827 non-profit associations” under FCRA [Foreign Contribution Regulation Act] provisions between 2017 and 2022, noting that “there were numerous reports of threats and violence against human rights defenders, particularly those representing women, religious minorities, and marginalised communities.”
Documenting “credible reports of militant groups killing Muslims and Dalits for transporting or slaughtering cattle,” the report noted that “the Supreme Court issued guidelines in 2018 to reduce these acts of vigilantism”. Documenting violations of religious freedom, the report stated, “Thirteen State governments had laws prohibiting forced conversions and forced religious conversion for the purpose of marriage. In practice, these were often used to limit conversion to non-Hindu religions and peaceful religious activities of members of religious minority communities.”
As regards non-state actors, the report noted that “terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, northeastern States, and Maoist terrorism-affected areas committed serious abuses, including killings and abductions of armed forces personnel, police, government officials, and civilians.”
The report, which covers all countries receiving U.S. assistance and all UN member states, assesses human rights practices as per the norms set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international agreements.
