Amnesty Int'l: India police 'indulged' in violence, torture during protests

A riot police officer is seen among debris at an area that was damaged by clashes between activists and police officers in New Delhi, India, on February 27. Activists protested a controversial citizenship law that offers amnesty to refugees from neighboring nations. File Photo by EPA-EFE

Aug. 28 (UPI) -- Amnesty International on Friday accused police in India of human rights violations in dealing with activists during mass demonstrators this year that resulted in more than 50 deaths, mostly among minority Muslims.

The protests in February opposed a controversial citizenship law in India that offers amnesty to refugees from neighboring nations, as long as they aren't Muslim. The law angered many in India's largest minority religious community


Amnesty International India said in a 20-page report Friday that it examined claims from dozens of activists, witnesses, attorneys and police officers.

"[Our] investigation has documented several human rights violations committed by the Delhi police," the report states. "These violations include Delhi police officers indulging in violence with the rioters; torturing in custody; using excessive force on protesters; dismantling protest sites used by peaceful protesters and being mute bystanders as rioters wreaked havoc."
The organization said it used open-source and digital investigation tools to corroborate the videos, and called on India's government to begin an impartial investigation.

Avinash Kumar, executive director of Amnesty International India, said there have been no efforts yet to punish officers who might have acted with excessive and unnecessary force.

"The Delhi police report to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and it is shocking that there has been no attempt by the MHA to hold the Delhi police accountable [until] now," Kumar said in a statement.

"This, despite several of their violations being live-streamed on social media platforms. There have been several news and fact-finding reports published during these six months documenting the violations."