A Study of Human Rights Violation by Police in India

Abstract

In India, an attempt has been made since 1999 to gather information on details of cases where human rights were violated due to Police excesses such as `Illegal Detentions’, `Fake Encounters’, `Extortion’, `Torture’, etc. by National Crime Record Bureau, New Delhi and National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi, Under Home Ministry, Government of India. The details are presented by NCRB’s Crime in India Report 2008, that as per the report 253 cases of Human Rights Violation by Police were reported throughout the country during 2008. Only 14 Policemen were charge-sheeted and only 08 of them were convicted for these Human Rights Violations during the year. Chhattisgarh has reported the maximum 233 cases (92.1% of such cases). 59 out of 253 cases were reported under crime head ‘Torture’. 39 and 33 cases were reported underthe head of ‘Extortion’ and ‘Failure in taking action’ respectively. 25 cases reported under the head of ‘False implication’. On the other hand, also Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) in its latest report Torture in India 2009 states that in the last eight years (from April 2001 to March 2009), an estimated 1,184 persons were killed in police custody in India. Most of the victims were killed as a result of torture within the first 48 hours after being taken into custody. The official data available with (TwoCircles.net) says every second police encounter that takes place in the country is fake. Colonial-era police laws enable state and local politicians to interfere routinely in police operations, sometimes directing police officers to drop investigations against people with political connections, including known criminals, and to harass or file false charges against political opponents. These practices corrode public confidence.