India COIS Report October 2006
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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT INDIA OCTOBER 2006 RDS-IND COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE INDIA 30 OCTOBER 2006 Contents PREFACE Latest News EVENTS IN INDIA, 1 OCTOBER – 27 OCTOBER 2006 REPORTS ON INDIA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED SINCE 1 OCTOBER 2006 Paragraphs Background Information GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 1.01 Map ................................................................................................ 1.06 ECONOMY ................................................................................................. 2.01 HISTORY ................................................................................................... 3.01 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS........................................................................... 4.01 CONSTITUTION .......................................................................................... 5.01 POLITICAL SYSTEM ................................................................................... 6.01 Human Rights INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 7.01 SECURITY FORCES .................................................................................... 8.01 Police............................................................................................. 8.01 Arbitrary Arrest and Detention ................................................... 8.04 Torture ....................................................................................... 8.06 Extra-Judicial Killings................................................................. 8.10 Armed Forces ............................................................................... 8.11 Arbitrary Arrest and Detention ................................................... 8.17 Torture ....................................................................................... 8.19 Extra-Judicial Killings................................................................. 8.21 Other Government Forces........................................................... 8.24 Avenues of Complaint ................................................................. 8.26 MILITARY SERVICE .................................................................................... 9.01 ABUSES BY NON-GOVERNMENT ARMED FORCES ....................................... 10.01 Torture........................................................................................... 10.07 JUDICIARY ................................................................................................ 11.01 Organisation ................................................................................. 11.01 High Court.................................................................................. 11.05 Fast Track Courts ...................................................................... 11.07 Lok Adalats ................................................................................ 11.09 Independence ............................................................................... 11.11 Fair Trial ........................................................................................ 11.12 Provision of legal aid.................................................................. 11.21 Penal Code.................................................................................... 11.22 Code of Criminal Procedure........................................................ 11.25 ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS ................................................ 12.01 Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).............................. 12.05 PRISON CONDITIONS ................................................................................. 13.01 DEATH PENALTY ....................................................................................... 14.01 ii This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 30 October 2006. Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. 30 OCTOBER 2006 INDIA POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................. 15.01 Freedom of Political Expression................................................. 15.01 Freedom of Association and Assembly ..................................... 15.02 Opposition Groups and Political Activists................................. 15.08 FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ............................................................. 16.01 HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS ................ 17.01 CORRUPTION ............................................................................................ 18.01 FREEDOM OF RELIGION ............................................................................. 19.01 Interreligious marriages .............................................................. 19.08 Religious tension ......................................................................... 19.10 Religious conversion ................................................................... 19.24 Muslims ......................................................................................... 19.43 Ayodhya mosque ....................................................................... 19.43 Gujarat riots 2002 godhra train incident..................................... 19.45 Bilqis Yakoob Rassool ............................................................... 19.61 Best bakery case ....................................................................... 19.63 Other incidents........................................................................... 19.74 Christians...................................................................................... 19.79 Sikhs and the Punjab ................................................................... 19.105 Sikh religion and historical background ..................................... 19.105 Militant violence in Punjab ......................................................... 19.120 Human rights concerns in Punjab.............................................. 19.130 Methods of ill treatment ............................................................. 19.141 Prosecution of security force personnel..................................... 19.144 Punjab state human rights commission ..................................... 19.151 Committee for coordination on disappearances in Punjab (CCDP) ...................................................................................... 19.155 People’s commission on human rights ...................................... 19.158 Nanavati Commission................................................................ 19.159 Current situation in Punjab ........................................................ 19.163 Internal relocation for Sikhs ....................................................... 19.172 Buddhists and Zoroastrians........................................................ 19.182 ETHNIC GROUPS ....................................................................................... 20.01 LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS........................... 21.01 DISABILITY ................................................................................................ 22.01 WOMEN .................................................................................................... 23.01 Overview Legal Rights.................................................................................. 23.11 Political Rights ............................................................................. 23.19 Women in politics......................................................................... 23.19 Women in the workplace ............................................................. 23.25 Gender Imbalance ........................................................................ 23.28 Marriage ........................................................................................ 23.38 Child marriage ........................................................................... 23.49 Domestic violence........................................................................ 23.52 Dowry ............................................................................................ 23.64 Social and Economic Rights ....................................................... 23.75 Gender discrimination ................................................................. 23.75 Violence against Women ............................................................. 23.78 Societal violence........................................................................ 23.78 Sati............................................................................................. 23.88 Rape .......................................................................................... 23.90 Organisations offering assistance to women ............................. 23.104 CHILDREN ................................................................................................. 24.01 This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 30 October 2006. iii Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. INDIA 30 OCTOBER 2006 Basic Information ......................................................................... 24.01 Education .....................................................................................