Death row getting longer in India

HYDERABAD: At least 30 human rights cases come to the portals of the AP State Human Rights Commission (APSHRC) every day. No wonder, as many as 1,099 cases of rights violations are pending in the state, according to Amnesty International which released its 50th annual report on Wednesday.The 400-page report presenting the status of human rights in 155 countries across the globe, condemned the Union government’s Operation Green Hunt against the naxalites, describing it as a war against tribal communities fighting to protect their land and their resources.Amnesty again turned its attention to the controversy over the death sentence in India. It says that while no death sentence has been executed in the last seven years, the courts continued to hand out capital punishment, with at least 110 convicts awarded the death penalty last year alone. Though capital punishment ought to be awarded in the rarest of rare cases, the report observes, Indian laws are becoming more stringent with more crimes becoming punishable by death.As regards Andhra Pradesh, the Amnesty report blames low awareness of rights among the people, especially among tribals, and the lack of a committed effort by the government for the rise in human rights violations.  Releasing the report on Wednesday, APSHRC member K Peda Peri Reddy said no less than 1,044 have come to the commission since this April. This pointed to the need to make a serious effort to contain human rights violations.Quoting the report, Peri Reddy said, “In India, though there are many government and non-government organisations fighting against violation of rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution, hundreds of cases are still awaiting justice and settlement.”Amnesty International, Hyderabad coordinator Ch Narendra was present on the occasion.