State Protection in India November 2012
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Issues Paper State Protection in India November 2012 Table of Contents Section 1: Background ................................................................................................. 3 1.1 Purpose ..................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Who seeks protection and why? .............................................................................. 3 Section 2: Domestic State Protection.......................................................................... 5 2.1 Law .......................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Police & Military ..................................................................................................... 6 2.2.1 Structure ................................................................................................................ 6 2.2.2 Enforcement .......................................................................................................... 7 2.2.3 Inaction ................................................................................................................. 8 2.2.4 Corruption/Impunity ........................................................................................... 11 2.2.5 Politicisation of police/military .......................................................................... 12 2.2.6 Location of persons in different jurisdictions ..................................................... 15 2.3 Judicial Authorities ................................................................................................ 16 2.3.1 Structure .............................................................................................................. 16 2.3.2 Enforcement ........................................................................................................ 17 2.3.3 Corruption........................................................................................................... 18 2.3.4 Pre-trial detention ............................................................................................... 19 2.4 General State of Law & Order ............................................................................... 20 2.4.1 Security situation / Terrorism ............................................................................. 20 2.4.2 Collusion between government and criminals/terrorists .................................... 21 2.4.3 Anti-corruption mechanisms ............................................................................... 22 Section 3: Recommended Reading ........................................................................... 24 3.1 General Background .............................................................................................. 24 3.2 Police and Military ................................................................................................. 24 References ................................................................................................................... 25 2 Section 1: Background 1.1 Purpose India is comprised of 28 states and seven union territories1, and has a population in excess of 1.2 billion people.2 This paper aims to provide information on issues relevant to state protection in India on a broad-brush scale. Due to India‟s sheer geographic size and population, and the country‟s cultural and religious diversity, it is beyond the scope of this paper to address the issue of state protection with any specificity regarding the multitude of ethnic, religious and other minority groups. 1.2 Who seeks protection and why? Those seeking protection may include – but are not limited to – the following (listed with some common grounds for seeking protection): Women (domestic violence, sexual assault, honour killings, dowry);3 Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transsexual Intersex (LGBTI) individuals;4 Caste (Dalits, inter-caste marriage);5 Actual or perceived political beliefs/affiliation (Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress (INC), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Khalistan Liberation Front (KLF), Babbar Khalsa International (BKI));6 1 Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative 2008, Police Organisation in India <http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/police/police_organisation_in_india_english.pdf> Accessed 4 September 2012 2 Muller, C et al 2011, „India‟, Political Handbook of the World, CQ Press, Washington <http://library.cqpress.com/phw/phw2011_India> Accessed 18 May 2012 3 „Afraid to approach „unfriendly‟ cops‟ 2011, Hindustan Times, 22 December <http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/Afraid-to-approach-unfriendly-cops/Article1- 785519.aspx> Accessed 22 December 2011; „Why are Hindu honor killings rising in India‟ 2010, Time Magazine, 25 May <http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1991195,00.html> Accessed 27 July 2012; „Dowry death: One bride burnt every hour‟ 2012, Times of India, 27 January <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Dowry-death-One-bride-burnt-every- hour/articleshow/11644691.cms> Accessed 27 January 2012; UK Home Office 2012, India: Country of Origin Information (COI) Report 2012, 30 March, p. 119ff, UNHCR Refworld <http://www/unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4f9e8c2c2.html> Accessed 9 May 2012 4 US Department of State 2012, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2011 – India, 24 May, Section 6; UK Home Office 2012, India: Country of Origin Information (COI) Report 2012, 30 March, p. 112ff, UNHCR Refworld <http://www/unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4f9e8c2c2.html> Accessed 9 May 2012 5 US Department of State 2012, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2011 – India, 24 May, Section 6; UK Home Office 2012, India: Country of Origin Information (COI) Report 2012, 30 March, p. 108ff, UNHCR Refworld <http://www/unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4f9e8c2c2.html> Accessed 9 May 2012 6 „India‟s Gujarat riots: 10 years on‟ 2012, BBC News, 1 March <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world- asia-india-17200961> Accessed 15 March 2012; US Department of State 2012, Country Reports on 3 Religion (inter-faith marriage, conversion, Sikhs, Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), Muslims, Hindus, Christians);7 Refugees (Tibetan, Nepalese, Tamil);8 and Family members (property/money/loan disputes).9 Human Rights Practices 2011 – India, 24 May, Section 1.e, 1.g; UK Home Office 2012, India: Country of Origin Information (COI) Report 2012, 30 March, pp. 96-7, 105, 177, UNHCR Refworld <http://www/unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4f9e8c2c2.html> Accessed 9 May 2012 7 „India Briefs: Recent Incidents of Persecution (December 2011)‟ 2012, Compass Direct News, 4 January <http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/article_1317439.html> Accessed 6 January 2012; United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 2012, Annual Report 2012 – The Commission’s Watch List: India, UNHCR Refworld, 20 March <http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,,IND,4562d8cf2,4f71a66c2,0.html> Accessed 3 April 2012 8 US Department of State 2012, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2011 – India, 24 May, Section 2.d; UK Home Office 2012, India: Country of Origin Information (COI) Report 2012, 30 March, pp. 160-62, UNHCR Refworld <http://www/unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4f9e8c2c2.html> Accessed 9 May 2012 9 Saunders, L C 2008, „Property boom triggers land grabs‟, Asian Pacific Post, 30 July <http://www.asianpacificpost.com/portal2/c1ee8c441b716617011b75d11d6d0060_Property_boom_tri ggers_land_grabs.do.html> Accessed 18 February 2011; „Punjab‟s land mafia thrives as property prices soar‟ 2010, South Asian Post, 2 September <http://www.southasianpost.com/news/topnews/article/punjab%E2%80%99slandmafiathrivesproperty pricessoar> Accessed 18 February 2011; Sharma, P 2011, „Punjab govt changes rules for NRI property sale‟, The Times of India, 20 January <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Punjab-govt-changes- rules-for-NRI-property-sale/articleshow/7327513.cms> Accessed 18 February 2011 4 Section 2: Domestic State Protection This section will provide information on Indian laws relevant to state protection, and will examine the mechanisms in place that enforce these laws. Included in this will be issues regarding the police, military, and other enforcement instruments, the judiciary, as well as issues such as corruption and impunity, and politicisation. It is worth noting that the northern region of India, in particular Jammu and Kashmir, should be considered separately to other regions of India, with Jammu and Kashmir being subject to specific laws having been accorded „special status‟. 2.1 Law Legislation relating to state protection for victims or potential victims of targeted harm includes: The Indian Penal Code, 1860.10 The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.11 Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.12 Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.13 Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958.14 National Security Act, 1980.15 Jammu and Kashmir Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1990.16 10 Republic of India 1860, Indian Penal Code 1860, Act No. 45 of 1860, Act No. 45 of 1860, Commonwealth Legal Information Institute, 6 October <http://www.commonlii.org/in/legis/num_act/ipc1860111/> Accessed 23 August 2010 11 Republic of India 1967, The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, promulgated 30 December 1967, National Investigation Agency <http://www.nia.gov.in/acts/The%20Unlawful%20Activities%20(Prevention)%20Act,%201967%20(3 7%20of%201967).pdf> Accessed 20 February 2012 12 Republic of India 1973, The Code of Criminal