In Media

Rights group urges NHRC to order Tripura government to hand over Pindulal murder case to CBI, Northeast Now

Northeast Now 24 December 2020 The National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) has urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to order the Tripura government to hand over the investigation into Pindulal Chakma murder case to the CBI. The NCAT in its complaint to the NHRC also called upon to invoke the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled […]

In Media

Poor account for 71% of custodial deaths in India, The Hindu

The Hindu 10 December 2020 Celebrities or rich people often get reprieve by claiming to suffer from kleptomania, says anti-torture group Data culled from the annual reports of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) from 1996-97 to 2017-18 have revealed that 71.58% of the custodial deaths in India were of people from poor or marginalised […]

In Media

Indian police use violence as a shortcut to justice. It’s the poorest who bear the scars, CNN News

CNN News / PDF link 03 December 2020 By Mohit Rao Bengaluru, India (CNN) It was minutes into India’s Independence Day when police stormed a slum in the western state of Gujarat where Hira Bajania, 65, was sleeping. In the black of night, he was dragged from his home, taken to a nearby police station and […]

In Media

To Check Custodial Deaths, India to Install CCTV Cameras in Police Stations, Vice World News

Vice World News 03 December 2020 By Danish Raza There have been more than 1700 custodial deaths in the country in the last 10 years. In a landmark ruling to check excesses in police custody, India’s Supreme Court has ordered the installation of CCTV cameras across police stations and offices of all investigating agencies. Cameras should […]

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NO EXCUSE OF KLEPTOMANIA: Poverty, Prejudices and Torture in India

In its report, “NO EXCUSE OF KLEPTOMANIA: Poverty, Prejudices and Torture in India” released today, the National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) stated that the National Human Rights Commission its Annual Reports from 1996-97 to 2017-18 had cited 95 illustrative cases of custodial deaths, and out of these, the victims in 68 cases comprising 71.58% belong […]

Torture Prevention

International Action against Torture during April 2019

The United Nations mechanisms and the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) took a number of measures against torture. This includes consideration of the periodic reports by the UN Committee Against Torture, country visit of the UN Sub-Committee Against Torture, interventions of the UN […]

Torture Prevention

International Action Against Torture During December 2018

The  UN Committee against Torture on 7 December 2018 concluded its sixty-fifth session after adopting concluding observations and recommendations on the periodic reports of Canada, Guatemala, Maldives, the Netherlands, Peru and Viet Nam on the implementation of the provisions of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT).[1] The concluding […]

Jurisprudence Resources

India: Judiciary’s action against torture during March 2019

The judiciary regularly adjudicates cases of illegal, unjustified and unwarranted arrests, extracting confession from innocent persons for offences which they have never committed, by way of custodial violence. The emblematic cases are given below. Case 1: Delhi court sentenced five Uttar Pradesh police personnel to 10 years imprisonment for custodial death On 20 March 2019, […]

Jurisprudence

Briefing: Interventions by India’s NHRIs during March 2019

The National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) of India i.e. National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the State Human Rights Commissions (SHRCs) are mandated to address human rights violations and continue to intervene in cases of torture. As per the latest data available, the National Human Rights Commission registered a total of 7,169 fresh cases, including […]

Jurisprudence Resources

India: Judiciary’s action against torture in February 2019

The judiciary regularly adjudicates cases of illegal, unjustified and unwarranted arrests, extracting confession from innocent persons for offences which they have never committed, by way of custodial violence. The emblematic cases are given below.  I. Bombay HC directs Maharashtra Government to submit status report on installing CCTV cameras in police stations On 18 February 2019, […]

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India Torture Report 2020: Increase in custodial deaths despite COVID-19 lockdown, at least one suicide every week due to torture in police custody

NEW DELHI, 18 March 2020: India: Annual Report on Torture 2020 released today by the National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) reported that despite the virtual shutdown of the country including complete lockdown from 24 March to 31 July 2020, India witnessed an increase in custodial deaths during the year and over one suicide every week […]

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The Status of COVID-19 in Indian Prisons

  The National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) in this report, The Status Of COVID-19 In Indian Prisons, stated that out of the 1,350 jails in India, COVID-19 infections have been reported from at least 351 jails in 25 out of total 36 States/UTs of the country as of 31 August 2020. The maximum number of […]

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Racism in India: The need for criminalisation of racism and racial crimes

New Delhi, 26 August 2020: The National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) in its submission to the Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws of the Ministry of Home Affairs today urged the Committee to insert new provisions in the Indian Penal Code i.e. Section 52B, 153C and Sections 509A to define, criminalise and penalise racial offences […]

Resources

The indispensability of adding offences of torture in Indian Penal Code

The NCAT in its submission, “The indispensability of adding offences of torture in Indian Penal Code’ censured the Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws for the exclusion of torture from its questionnaires for the 1st & 2nd Consultations on Substantive Criminal Law despite Union Home Minister Amit Shah declaring on 29.08.2019 declaring that ‘the era of third […]

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Best Practices

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India Torture Report 2020: Increase in custodial deaths despite COVID-19 lockdown, at least one suicide every week due to torture in police custody

NEW DELHI, 18 March 2020: India: Annual Report on Torture 2020 released today by the National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) reported that despite the virtual shutdown of the country including complete lockdown from 24 March to 31 July 2020, India witnessed an increase in custodial deaths during the year and over one suicide every week […]

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India’s NHRC urged to process asylum applications of the Burmese refugees in Mizoram

The National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) today filed a complaint (Vide Diary No.3661/IN/2021) with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) urging it to process the asylum/refugee claims of the Burmese refugees who have fled following the coup d’etat in Myanmar on 1 February 2021 by sending its Investigation Department of the NHRC to Mizoram to […]

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PRESS RELEASE: NHRC urged to transfer Tripura’s Pindulal Chakma murder case to the CBI and invoke Prevention of Atrocities Act

NEW DELHI, 24 DECEMBER 2020: The National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) in its complaint to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sought the directions to the Tripura Government to transfer Pindulal Chakma murder case to the CBI for fair inquiry to meet the ends of justice and invoke the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention […]

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PRESS RELEASE: No judicial inquiry in 71% cases of deaths in police custody, NHRC urged to recall its order diluting mandatory judicial inquiries into custodial deaths

New Delhi: On the Foundation Day (12 October) of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) urged the NHRC to recall its order dated 5 April 2010 in Case No. 416631/24/26/0809/JCD and subsequent directions issued to the States and Union Territories including on 6th May 2013 that under Section 176(1A) […]

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Racism in India: The need for criminalisation of racism and racial crimes

New Delhi, 26 August 2020: The National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) in its submission to the Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws of the Ministry of Home Affairs today urged the Committee to insert new provisions in the Indian Penal Code i.e. Section 52B, 153C and Sections 509A to define, criminalise and penalise racial offences […]

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India Torture Report 2020: Increase in custodial deaths despite COVID-19 lockdown, at least one suicide every week due to torture in police custody

NEW DELHI, 18 March 2020: India: Annual Report on Torture 2020 released today by the National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) reported that despite the virtual shutdown of the country including complete lockdown from 24 March to 31 July 2020, India witnessed an increase in custodial deaths during the year and over one suicide every week […]

Banner India Latest Torture Prevention

NO EXCUSE OF KLEPTOMANIA: Poverty, Prejudices and Torture in India

In its report, “NO EXCUSE OF KLEPTOMANIA: Poverty, Prejudices and Torture in India” released today, the National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) stated that the National Human Rights Commission its Annual Reports from 1996-97 to 2017-18 had cited 95 illustrative cases of custodial deaths, and out of these, the victims in 68 cases comprising 71.58% belong […]

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20 YEARS OF UNSC RESOLUTION 1325: INDIA FAILS TO IMPLEMENT

I. The UNSC Resolution 1325 On 31 October 2000, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. It  among others, calling upon all parties to armed conflicts to “respect fully international law applicable to the rights and protection of women and girls, especially as civilians, in particular the obligations […]

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The Status of COVID-19 in Indian Prisons

  The National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) in this report, The Status Of COVID-19 In Indian Prisons, stated that out of the 1,350 jails in India, COVID-19 infections have been reported from at least 351 jails in 25 out of total 36 States/UTs of the country as of 31 August 2020. The maximum number of […]