Aug
19
Ensaaf Resumes Blog
August 19, 2008 | Comments Off on Ensaaf Resumes Blog
Ensaaf’s blog is resuming after over a year’s hiatus. Stay tuned for coverage on Punjab human rights issues. Here are some highlights from the past year: In October 2007, Ensaaf and Human Rights Watch released a joint report, video testimonials, and photo essay. The report, Protecting the Killers, A Policy of Impunity in Punjab, India, […]
Apr
3
Ensaaf and HRW Publish Joint Op Ed on Punjab Mass Cremations Case
April 3, 2007 | Comments Off on Ensaaf and HRW Publish Joint Op Ed on Punjab Mass Cremations Case
Injustice cost votes in Punjab polls By Jasmine Marwaha and Meenakshi Ganguly Published in The Asian Age (Feb. 27, 2007) Mumbai: As Punjab went to the polls to elect a new state government this month, political pundits attributed the lack of a clear Congress victory in exit polls to frustration with the rising consumer prices […]
Jan
12
India Burning the Rule of Law
January 12, 2007 | 1 Comment
On October 9th, 2006, the Indian National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) effectively ended its consideration of the Punjab mass cremations case, arbitrarily compensating 1,245 victim families and establishing another commission of inquiry. Among its many failings in the case, the NHRC refused to investigate a single cremation, thus making any compensation arbitrary and inadequate. Moreover, […]
Jan
12
Update on Bhalla Commission Hearings
January 12, 2007 | Comments Off on Update on Bhalla Commission Hearings
Of the 2000-plus illegal cremations in Punjab acknowledged by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the Punjab mass cremations case, 814 bodies have yet to be identified. The NHRC appointed a Commissioner, retired High Court Judge K.S. Bhalla, for receiving evidence and conducting an inquiry to identify the remaining bodies, if possible, within eight months. In […]
May
19
NHRC grants Rs 2.5 lakh in compensation
May 19, 2006 | Comments Off on NHRC grants Rs 2.5 lakh in compensation
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has ordered the Punjab Government to pay Rs 2.5 lakh in compensation to each of the the families of forty-five people killed under police custody from 1984 to 1994. On May 15, counsel for the Punjab Government appeared before the NHRC and stated that forty-five people had been identified […]
Apr
19
NHRC update: 570 illegal cremation victims identified
April 19, 2006 | Comments Off on NHRC update: 570 illegal cremation victims identified
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman AS Anand has announced that the Punjab government has identified 570 more victims of illegal cremation in the Punjab Mass Cremations case. The total number of identified people illegally cremated by the Punjab police is now 1,273. 824 bodies remain unidentified out of a total list of 2,097 victims. […]
Mar
28
NHRC case update: Compensation announced
March 28, 2006 | Comments Off on NHRC case update: Compensation announced
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has ordered the Punjab government to pay Rs 2.5 lakh in compensation to each of 38 people whose relatives died in custody and were illegally creamted by the police. This NHRC order increases the toal number of people awarded compensation to 148; at least 2,097 people in Amritsar district […]
Nov
2
Human Rights Watch issues letter to NHRC
November 2, 2005 | Comments Off on Human Rights Watch issues letter to NHRC
On November 1, Brad Adams, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division, issued a letter to the National Human Rights Commission regarding its upcoming decision on the Punjab mass secret cremations case. The letter urges the NHRC to order a full accounting of the systematic abuses that occurred in Punjab, determine liability after detailed […]
Oct
27
Expert Medical Groups Intervene in Punjab Mass Cremations Matter
October 27, 2005 | Comments Off on Expert Medical Groups Intervene in Punjab Mass Cremations Matter
In May and June 2005, ENSAAF organized the Physicians for Human Rights and the Bellevue/NYU School of Medicine Program for Survivors of Torture to conduct a study of 127 families who survived the disappearance of a family member in Amritsar, Punjab. These cases draw from those pending before the National Human Rights Commission in the […]
Aug
9
Updates on the Punjab illegal cremations matter
August 9, 2005 | Comments Off on Updates on the Punjab illegal cremations matter
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has held two hearings on the Punjab illegal cremations matter since its December 2004 hearing. The two hearings were held on May 5 and July 5. (Read the full article in the June Dispatch.) During the May hearing, Justice Anand, Chairperson of the Commission, indicated that the July 5 […]