Thursday, April 15, 2010

How Main-Stream Media/Propaganda Works

Maoists Worst Human Rights Offenders
...is the Headline of a news-item on the IBNLive (April 14th). It goes on to say:

New Delhi: Naxalites are India's worst human rights offenders, says a new report on Torture in India. But Maoist supporters maintain that the Naxals are fighting for survival.

A report on Torture in India has made the startling revelation. The Asian Centre for Human Rights says that the Maoists are the worst violators when it comes to torture. For the first time ever, a top human rights group in India has accepted and highlighted that fact.


So to find out the details I went to The Asian Centre for Human Rights site. The Press-Release of the report - Torture in India - quoted by IBNLive is titled

41.66% increase of custodial deaths under the UPA from 2000
- Government urged to hold public debate on the Prevention of Torture Bill, 2010 -


It starts...
New Delhi: The Asian Centre for Human Rights today released its report, Torture in India 2010, at a press conference in New Delhi and stated that taking 2000 as the base year, custodial death have increased by 41.66% persons under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government between 2004-2005 to 2007-2008. This includes 70.72% increase of deaths in prison custody and 12.60% in police custody.

“It is the aam aadmi who are the majority victims of torture and other inhuman and degrading treatment. However, the UPA government has failed to do address the issue of torture and other human rights violations” – stated Mr Suhas Chakma, Director, Asian Centre for Human Rights..... “If government of India can hold public discussion on the Food Security Bill, why is it treating the Prevention of Torture Bill, 2010 as a secret document? It shows that the government has more to hide as its earlier draft, Prevention of Torture bill, 2008, contained only three operative paragraphs relating to (1) definition of torture, (2) punishment for torture, and (3) limitations for cognizance of offences. The Prevention of Torture bill, 2008 was highly flawed.”
... Etc.

The full-report can be downloaded here

In this 99-page report,:
  • 33 pages are devoted to Torture in Police Custody, which includes 20+ pages on "Patterns and Practices of Torture in Police Custody" and other sections on "Custodial torture of women and children" "impunity" etc...
  • 1 page on Torture in the Custody of the Armed Forces
  • 3 pages on Torture in Judicial Custody
  • 2 pages on naxalites' use of torture

    Moral of the Story: There is no Moral in the Story!

  • 1 comment:

    Weekend Politician (వీకెండ్ పొలిటీషియన్) said...

    great Bolg. The irony is many of the perspectives that should have been the mainstream perspectives are finding their place in alternative perspectives. This tells us that there is huge amount of work for us to do to perfect our imperfect democracy.

    BTW, I appreciate and thank you for your perspective on communalism in your earlier posts.