Torture victims

IMPHAL, Jun 26 : Extending solidarity to victims of torture and other inhuman and degrading punishment on the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights in Manipur and the United Nations (CSCHR) said that when the people and the Government should be jointly fighting the Covid pandemic, regular reports of people being subjected to excesses under different Acts have become routine.
In statement, CSCHR elaborated that people are subject to repression in the form arbitrary detention, torture etc under the provisions of Disaster Management Act, UAPA, NSA, AFSPA etc.
The Government of India has  committed to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) several times, but the same has not been ratified for the past 24 years, it said and added that the silence of the NHRC and MHRC on this is loud.
On June 25, 2020, MHRC had instructed the Special Secretary (Home) of the Government of Manipur to report on the steps taken to ratify the UNCAT on or before July 13, 2020, but there has been no response till date, it added.
CSCHR repeated its call to ratify UNCAT and  legislate an Anti-Torture domestic legislation with the recommendations of the Supreme Court and Law Commission of India.