NEW DELHI: The United Nations has rapped India for imposing a draconian army act for controlling militancy. A UN official has also criticized Maoists, an extreme militant left wing group operating in rural and backward regions of India for killing innocent civilians. Christof Heyns, who has been authorized by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) to prepare a report on human rights violations in India has spent nearly a fortnight on a fact finding mission in India tracking down human rights violation trends here. “AFSPA in my view, has no role to play in a democracy and should be scrapped. Repealing this law will bring domestic law more in line with international standards and send out a powerful message that instead of a military approach, the government is committed to respect for the right to life of all people in the country under a ordinary law and order and human rights dispensation,” Heyns said. AFSPA has currently been enforced in the strife-torn Jammu and Kashmir state in north India and throughout the north eastern region which is also affected by militancy. India's civil rights movements have demanded repealing of the AFSPA on account of numerous human rights violations committed by the Indian armed forces. In his critique of the Maoist violence, Heyns also said that the Indian state had the right to defend itself against leftist militancy, which has resulted in the killings of several thousand civilians as well as hundreds of soldiers and policemen. “The callous nature in which lives, often of innocent civilians, are taken by these non-state actors, need to be condemned strongly. The state has a right to defend itself against such aggression, provided, of course, it abides by the international standards in this regard. The state cannot adopt unlawful or unconstitutional means or create a vigilante force to counter such violence,” Heyns said. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/aFdtX Tags: featured, India, rights, UN Section: Human Rights, Latest News, South Asia
