The country which faces police vacancy to the tune of over 5 lakh personnel deploys three cops to protect its one VIP as against availability of merely one cop for 761 lesser mortals. Recently released data on police organizations in the country revealed how different states and Union Territories tend to deploy more and more cops for VIP security than the sanctioned strength of police personnel for this purpose. Though the Union...

-The United Nations While commending India's generally high level of commitment to human rights, a United Nations expert today urged the Government to continue to fight impunity for extrajudicial executions, and communal and traditional killings. The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns, said he recognized the size, complexity, security concerns and diversity of India – however, he remains concerned that the challenges with respect to the protection...

Twenty-two organisations, led by the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights, have decided to launch a protest here alleging that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has backtracked from her pre-poll promise to release all political prisoners.   “The APDR, along with 21 organisations, has decided to start a movement for the release of political prisoners. A rally from College Square to Metro Channel will be held in the third week of April and...

The United Nations has asked India to repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, saying it had no role to play in a democracy. “The AFSPA in effect allows the state to override rights in the disturbed areas in a much [more] intrusive way than would be the case under a state of emergency, since the right to life is in effect suspended, and this is done without the safeguards applicable...

This month, two women’s stories, told courageously, helped to underline the reality of domestic violence in India. Nita Bhalla, a journalist, wrote for the BBC about being physically assaulted by her partner. Meena Kandasamy, a poet and writer on social issues, wrote movingly in Outlook, a national newsmagazine, of surviving a violent marriage: “My skin has seen enough hurt to tell its own story.” Both Ms. Kandasamy and Ms. Bhalla are,...