Attacks by cow vigilantes, threat to journalists in India: Amnesty criticizes in report
New Delhi: Religious minorities, particularly Muslims, in India faced increasing "demonization", global rights group Amnesty International said on Thursday, accusing Indian authorities of using laws to stifle freedom of expression in the country.
In its latest annual report released here, it said incidents like cow vigilantism and lynchings in the name of beef-eating plagued India over the past year, alleging inaction by the government.
"In India, dozens of hate crimes against Muslims took place across the country against the backdrop of a wave of Islamophobia under the Hindu nationalist government. At least 10 Muslim men were lynched and many injured by vigilante cow protection groups," it said, adding many of them seemed to operate with the support of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"Some arrests were made, but no convictions were reported. Some BJP officials made statements which appeared to justify the attacks."
The report also speaks about issues like threat to journalists and killing of Gauri Lankesh, an editor who was shot dead outside her residence in Bengaluru last year.
"Several journalists and human rights defenders lost their lives. Freedom of expression in universities also remained under threat. Lankesh, an outspoken critic of Hindu nationalism and the caste system, was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru by unidentified gunmen in September. Criminal defamation cases were brought against several journalists."
The report draws a dark picture of the plight of human rights, citing examples and of caste-based discrimination, communal violence, crimes against women and children in India.
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