India rebuked by UN discrimination watchdog, asked to better protect tribal peoples and disadvantaged castes

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has criticized India for its failure to adequately protect tribal peoples and disadvantaged castes from extrajudicial killings, torture, and violence by law enforcement. The committee expressed grave concerns over reports of widespread violations against ethnic and ethno-religious groups, including Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, particularly Dalits, and non-citizens.

These violations include racially motivated violence, excessive use of force, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary and prolonged detention without due process, torture, ill-treatment, and sexual violence. The committee urged India to investigate all such allegations and bring those responsible to justice, while also calling for urgent action to address discrimination, hate speech, and hate crimes against these groups.

Brief written by urgent.news from Dawn's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.