UNHRC to review India's UPR, US, others to ask questions on hijab ban, anti-conversion law

Not only the US, UK too sought to know about the steps PM Modi’s govt was taking to protect rights of the minorities

President Joe Biden’s administration has a barrage of questions to ask when India’s human rights records will come under scrutiny by the other United Nations member states on Thursday – including the ones about ban on wearing Hijabs in educational institutions in Karnataka, laws against conversion and hate speeches against minorities.

With the United Nations Human Rights Council set to take up the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of India, the Biden Administration has submitted the longest list of “advanced questions”, conveying concerns over worrying trends in press freedom space, internet shutdowns, misuse of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act to constrain activities of the civil society and police actions against free speech advocates, activists and faith leaders.

Not only the United States, the United Kingdom too sought to know about the steps Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was taking to protect the rights of the minorities. So did Germany and Belgium.

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The US, the UK, Germany, Canada and Belgium also asked when India would ratify the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment and Punishment. India signed the convention on October 14, 1997, but refrained from ratifying it, along with a few other nations. The US pointed out that India had during the last UPR of its human rights record had supported the recommendation by 31 nations to ratify the convention. It also added that the Law Commission of India had also recommended ratification of the convention,

India submitted its national report for the 4th UPR cycle at the UNHRC on August 5 last. The report outlined the steps the Government of India took for promotion and protection of human rights, including implementation of the recommendations accepted by it during the 3rd UPR of India in 2017.

The report will be reviewed by the UNHRC on Thursday. The government sent a team of officials led by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to Geneva to defend the nation’s human rights record at the UNHRC. Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs, and Indra Mani Pandey, New Delhi’s envoy to the UN offices in Geneva, are among the officials, who will assist him.

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The UPR is a review of the human rights records of all the UN member states, who are provided the opportunity to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfill their human rights obligations. The declarations by the nations are reviewed by the other UN member nations.

The US in the advance questions submitted to the UNHRC sought to know how Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government intended to prevent, track, prosecute, and punish crimes of sectarian violence, or threats of violence committed by officials, individuals, or groups against members of religious or social minority groups. Belgium sought to know if India would review and repeal the “anti-minority laws such as the Citizenship Amendment Act and anti-conversion laws, which target religious minorities, and introduce measures and legislation to prevent and respond to communal and targeted religious violence”.