28 March 2009 | HindToday
New Delhi: 28 March (RINA): Torture of Muslims in police custody is commonplace. Although India is rising a world power and is under a spell of tremendous economic boon, however, on the other side of the coin there are gross human rights violations in the country. India fares badly in human rights records. In fact in the case custodial tortures it is placed fairly high on the international index. According to the Ravi Nair, Director of South Asian Human Rights Association, “In the Indian context it is custodial torture is a normal practice and is not looked down upon”.
Narrating one of his own experiences Mr. Nair said, “Once we met the former Prime Minister of India regarding a case pertaining to custodial torture, he instead shot back that in the police station you are not extended kind hospitality, neither are you revered”. He further added, “If the former Head of the Government of any State has such kind of cheap mentality then what we can expect from the general public”. In the views of Human Rights Activist Gautam Navlkha the fundamental reason for custodial torture, “It (custodial torture) in India is not a new phenomenon; however, during the past in the name of terrorism it has increased manifolds.
Earlier it was directed towards the Sikhs, then in Kashmir more than sixty thousand innocent persons were targeted and now Muslims and Maoist are being victimized”. During the past few years hundreds of innocent Muslims have been arrested and then in the name of interrogation tortured by the police and security agencies. Even the Andhra Pradesh state government has accepted that police had targeted innocent Muslims for no fault of theirs. One of the victims of third degree police torture Abdul Wajid has a horrific and hair-raising tale to tell. He was arrested after the Gokul Chat Bhadar and Lumbini Park bomb blast. He was met with inhumane torture by the police and forced to confess the bombing. However, after eight days in custody he was released.
Source: http://hindtoday.com/news/ViewNewsV2.aspx?HTAdvtId=3589&HTAdvtPlaceCode=IND&HTAdvtType=13