COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT INDIA 30 SEPTEMBER 2007 Border & Immigration Agency COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE INDIA 30 SEPTEMBER 2007 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN INDIA FROM 1 SEPTEMBER – 30 SEPTEMBER 2007 REPORTS ON INDIA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED SINCE 1 SEPTEMBER 2007 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ......................................................................................... 1.01 Map ................................................................................................ 1.08 2. ECONOMY ............................................................................................. 2.01 3. HISTORY ............................................................................................... 3.01 1991 to present ............................................................................. 3.01 Congress (I) and economic reform............................................. 3.01 Emergence of BJP........................................................................ 3.02 Tension with Pakistan.................................................................. 3.04 Religious strife ............................................................................. 3.12 General elections 2004 ................................................................ 3.16 State assembley elections 2007.................................................. 3.20 By-elections .................................................................................. 3.24 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS....................................................................... 4.01 Bomb blasts.................................................................................. 4.01 5. CONSTITUTION ...................................................................................... 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM................................................................................ 6.01 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 7.01 8. SECURITY FORCES ................................................................................ 8.01 Police............................................................................................. 8.01 Arbitrary Arrest and Detention ................................................... 8.04 Torture ....................................................................................... 8.08 Extra-Judicial Killings................................................................. 8.12 Armed Forces ............................................................................... 8.14 Arbitrary Arrest and Detention ................................................... 8.17 Torture ....................................................................................... 8.19 Extra-Judicial Killings................................................................. 8.20 Other Government Forces........................................................... 8.23 Paramilitary forces ..................................................................... 8.23 Avenues of Complaint ................................................................. 8.27 9. MILITARY SERVICE ................................................................................ 9.01 10. ABUSES BY NON-GOVERNMENT ARMED FORCES ................................. 10.01 Torture........................................................................................... 10.07 11. JUDICIARY........................................................................................... 11.01 Organisation ................................................................................. 11.01 High Court.................................................................................. 11.06 Fast Track Courts ...................................................................... 11.08 ii This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 30 September 2007. Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. 30 SEPTEMBER 2007 INDIA Lok Adalats ................................................................................ 11.10 Independence ............................................................................... 11.11 Witness protection ....................................................................... 11.13 Fair Trial ........................................................................................ 11.15 Provision of legal aid.................................................................. 11.22 Penal Code.................................................................................... 11.23 Code of Criminal Procedure........................................................ 11.26 12. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS .......................................... 12.01 Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).............................. 12.05 13. PRISON CONDITIONS ........................................................................... 13.01 14. DEATH PENALTY ................................................................................. 14.01 15. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ....................................................................... 15.01 Freedom of Political Expression................................................. 15.01 Freedom of Association and Assembly ..................................... 15.02 Opposition Groups and Political Activists................................. 15.08 Naxalites .................................................................................... 15.13 Tripura ....................................................................................... 15.21 Assam........................................................................................ 15.25 Manipur...................................................................................... 15.30 16. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA........................................................ 16.01 Treatment of journalists .............................................................. 16.09 17. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS........... 17.01 18. CORRUPTION....................................................................................... 18.01 19. FREEDOM OF RELIGION ....................................................................... 19.01 Introduction .................................................................................. 19.01 Inter-religious marriages ............................................................. 19.08 Religious tension ......................................................................... 19.10 Religious conversions ................................................................. 19.20 Muslims ......................................................................................... 19.27 Ayodhya mosque ....................................................................... 19.38 Gujarat riots 2002 ......................................................................... 19.45 Godra train incident ................................................................... 19.45 Best bakery case ....................................................................... 19.51 Other incidents........................................................................... 19.58 Christians...................................................................................... 19.62 Sikhs and the Punjab ................................................................... 19.79 Sikh religion and historical background ..................................... 19.79 Militant violence in Punjab ......................................................... 19.83 Human rights concerns in Punjab.............................................. 19.86 Prosecution of security force personnel..................................... 19.89 Punjab State Human Rights Commission.................................. 19.94 Committee for Coordination on Disappearances in Punjab (CCDP) ...................................................................................... 19.96 Internal relocation for Sikhs ....................................................... 19.98 Buddhists and Zoroastrians........................................................ 19.108 20. ETHNIC GROUPS ................................................................................. 20.01 Dalits.............................................................................................. 20.04 21. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS ..................... 21.01 Legal rights ................................................................................... 21.01 Government attitudes .................................................................. 21.02 Social and economic rights......................................................... 21.07 Societal ill-treatment or discrimination...................................... 21.12 22. DISABILITY .......................................................................................... 22.01 23. WOMEN............................................................................................... 23.01 This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 30 September 2007. iii Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. INDIA 30 SEPTEMBER 2007 Overview ......................................................................................