India has several significant human rights issues, including restrictions on freedom of expression and the press, corruption and tolerance of violations of religious freedom, a report of the US State Department said on Tuesday.
The report notes that the government has taken steps to improve the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir and restore normalcy in the former state, which split into two union territories after its special status was scrapped in 2019, although it is not the case in reality.
“The government continued taking steps to restore normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir by gradually lifting some security and communication restrictions,” said the State Department in its India section of the report.
In January after more than a year of internet shutdown in Kashmir, the Indian government ‘partially’ restored internet access; however, high speed 4G mobile internet remains restricted in most parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
The US State Department in its report listed more than a dozen significant human rights issues for India. Prominent among them are unlawful and arbitrary killings including extrajudicial killings perpetrated by police; torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by some police and prison officials; arbitrary arrest and detention by government authorities; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; political and prisoners or detainees in certain states.
India has in the past rejected similar reports alleging human rights violations.
