Not sustaining information of detained, arrested civil rights activists: MHA in reply to Lok Sabha

The Indian government does not keep a record of the arrests of civil rights activists, the Interior Ministry (MHA) said on Tuesday in response to a question in parliament.

This response follows a press release from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, citing tightening restrictions on NGOs and the arrest of civil rights activists in India.

Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said the National Crime Record Bureau (NCBR) does not maintain specific data on the arrest / detention of civil rights activists. The question in this regard was asked by MPs from Lok Sabha, Mohammad Jawed, TN Prathapan and Kani K Navas.

In their question to the MHA, MPs had asked: “Whether there is an increase in the number of arrests and / or imprisonment of civil rights activists for peaceful disagreements in the country, and if so, their details.”

“Whether the government has taken note of the concerns expressed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the rise in arrests and / or incarceration of civil rights activists in India for peaceful disagreements; if so, the government’s response; if not, the government’s response; Reasons for this, “said the second part of the question.

In addition, MPs asked: “Does the government have the data of civil rights activists arrested or imprisoned over the Bhima Koregaon case, anti-CAA protests and, if so, the details of them?”

When asked, MoS for Home Affairs, G Kishan Reddy, replied that NCRB is the central agency that compiles the date reported by states and UTs on crime and publishes it in its annual publication. The last published report is from 2019.

“The National Crime Record Bureau does not maintain specific data on the arrests and / or detentions of civil rights activists, so it is not possible to draw any conclusions about the arrest and / or detention trend in this regard,” Reddy said.

The Minister added that the Government of India “took note of the October 20, 2020 press release from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the restrictions on NGOs and the arrest of activists in India and responded to it” appropriately.

“In addition, there are safeguards in India’s constitution and various laws, including the 1993 Human Rights Protection Act, to ensure the protection of human rights,” the Home Office said in its response.