UP govt must do more to protect the rights of religious minorities: Amnesty

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By IndiaTomorrow.net,New Delhi, 08 Oct 2015: “Arrests will not to be enough to ease communal tensions. The state government must address cases of incitement to violence, and ensure that self-appointed cow protection organizations do not act as vigilante groups,” said rights watchdog Amnesty International in a reaction over the lynching of a Muslim man over beef rumours in a village in Dadri area of Uttar Pradesh.

On 28 September, Akhlaq Ahmed, 50, was lynched by a mob allegedly after rumours that his family had eaten beef.

“There is an environment of mistrust and fear in parts of Uttar Pradesh,” said Abhirr VP, Campaigner at Amnesty International India. “Political leaders continue to stoke tensions by justifying violence. The state government’s inability to check religious intolerance emboldens groups to carry out attacks,” he added.

“Arrests will not to be enough to ease communal tensions. The state government must address cases of incitement to violence, and ensure that self-appointed cow protection organizations do not act as vigilante groups,” said Abhirr V P.

“Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav must show that the state government is serious about making the state safe for people from all religions. His government must make public and act on the report of the Justice Vishnu Sahai commission on the 2013 communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, which was submitted last month. It must bring to justice all those involved in the violence, including political leaders, police, and administrative officials,” said the Amnesty official.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs has stated that there were 68 communal incidents in Uttar Pradesh in the first six months of 2015. Kasganj and Saharanpur districts in the state witnessed clashes between Hindu and Muslim groups in June. In September, there was stone throwing, burning of vehicles and arson by Hindu and Muslim groups in the town of Gonda.

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