Report of the Justice D.P. Wadhwa Commission of Inquiry: Judicial Commission or Injudicious Cover up? 

25 August 1999

Acknowledgements
The South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre extends its appreciation to its allied research contacts across India, particularly in Orissa. We regret that we can not mention them by name for reason of their security.

Executive Summary
On 24 February 1999, the Home Minister of India L.K. Advani confirmed that there were 116 communal-based crimes against Christians in 1998—more than in the 51 years since Independence combined. The year ended with burning churches and prayer halls in the Dangs district of Gujarat, in a Christmas period that saw anti-Christian rallies, the destruction of places of worship and countless attacks on Christians.

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Report of the Justice D.P. Wadhwa Commission of Inquiry: Judicial Commission or Injudicious Cover up?Read More »

Human rights groups have limited their role to monitoring and protesting human rights violations committed by state actors.1  With the emergence of armed opposition groups “such as the Sendero Luminoso in Peru2” and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka3 that murder, torture, and destroy civil society in their respective regions, human rights entities must question whether they should broaden their mandate to include abuses committed by such groups.  Focusing on the context of India, this article: (1) develops arguments encouraging human rights groups to critique abuses perpetrated by armed opposition groups; (2) suggests potential problems that may be encountered in making such criticisms; and (3) raises some reasons for caution by human rights organizations that condemn the actions of armed opposition groups.

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Confronting the Violence Committed by Armed Opposition GroupsRead More »

1. INTRODUCTION

Though India has not ratified the 1951 United Nations (UN) and 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, it provides shelter to over 300,000 refugees from neighboring countries. There are over 50,000 Jumma refugees from the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh sheltered in Tripura State of India, over 70,000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in Indian State of Tamilnadu and about 121,143 Tibetan refugees. They are under the protection of the Government of India.

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Country Report on the Refugee Situation in IndiaRead More »