• GURDEEP SINGH
• MANPREET KAUR

Today’s world it is almost impossible to open a newspaper or see the evening news without human rights being mentioned. Often, violations and abuses are in focus. Even if human rights have become part of our modern vocabulary, many of us do not know what they really are. How do they function and how can they influence our societies? Human rights are fundamental rights that every human being is entitled to. The underlying ethical values behind the vision of human rights are human dignity and equality. The idea that all human beings are entitled to some fundamental human rights dates far back into history. The need for people to formulate human rights grew out of the need to protect individuals from arbitrary abuse, violations, and discrimination perpetrated by those in power. India's diversity and traditional ethos of tolerance have been marred by hostility and hate along caste and religious lines. Millions of Dalit or "lower" castes and Adivasis (the indigenous tribal people) have suffered centuries of systemic repression, exclusion, and stigma at the hands of "upper" castes. The same forces that have perpetuated caste discrimination are also spearheading India's seemingly relentless drift away from secularism and religious pluralism, especially over the course of the last three years. In 2016, a global index of human rights and social and religious freedoms by Pew Research Centre placed India among the worst 10 of the world’s 198 countries when judged for “social hostilities.” The situation of religious minorities in India has seen a steady decline during much of independent India's history, on account of their cynical manipulation by various political parties, as well as the onslaught of a hateful and divisive ideology that has sought to impose Hindu political and cultural hegemony. The victory of the present ruling Party in India's national elections in May 2014 brought to power a party that has openly espoused Hindutva, an ultranationalist ideology marked by extreme animus towards Muslims, Christians and other religious minorities. The result, over the last three years, can only be termed as an assault on human rights and religious freedom of minorities that is shocking both in its intensity and its brazenness. The human rights violations of religious minorities cover a broad spectrum, from illegal detention, torture and fake encounter killings of detainees to open assault against individuals, their sources of livelihood and in many cases their places of worship. Hundreds of Muslims have been arrested on trumped up charges of terrorism, and have spent several years in prison before being finally acquitted. Laws curbing religious conversion, the ban on sale and possession of beef in many states and the curbs placed on NGOs represent the state's response to forced conversions, the brutal violence of "cow protection" groups and the harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders respectively. In all cases, the state has become an enabler of repression, often going to great lengths to defend and normalize the abuse. While multiple international bodies have called out the RSS and its affiliates for their violence and extremism, Hindutva's stranglehold on Indian polity continues to tighten. The culture of impunity that has taken hold in India bodes ill for the rule of law and for India's continued ascendancy on the world stage. The international community has an obligation to take cognizance of human rights violations in India and to influence the Indian government to take necessary steps to safeguard the rights of Dalits, Adivasis, and religious minorities.

Historical Background, Police and Security Forces, Torture, Illegal Detention, and Extrajudicial Killings, Terrorism Cases, Pressures on Judiciary and Prosecution, Attacks on Minorities

"The Minorities Human Rights in India", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 4, page no.354-357, April-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1904952.pdf

"The Minorities Human Rights in India", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 4, page no. pp354-357, April-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1904952.pdf