The United States-based and funded independent research institution, Freedom House, has demoted India from the status of “free” to “partly free.” In its yearly country reports, it aims to “assess the level of political rights and civil liberties” and how they are affected by “state, nonstate actors, or foreign powers.”
In its 2021 report on India, it clarified that the scores are not reflective of the conditions in Indian Kashmir, the examination of which is done separately. It attributed this change in status to the “multiyear pattern in which the Hindu nationalist government and its allies have presided over rising violence and discriminatory policies affecting the Muslim population”. It also highlighted the “crackdown on expressions of dissent by the media, academics, civil society groups, and protesters.”
However, the report did applaud several aspects of Indian democracy despite certain setbacks. For instance, India performed well in the heading of “Electoral Process”, which looks into whether the country’s head of government and national legislative representatives are elected through a free and fair electoral process. In fact, India was awarded the highest possible score in this category.
Furthermore, it performed reasonably well in the “Political Pluralism and Participation” aspect too, specifically in the aspect of plurality in the political system. Nevertheless, the report recognised that several minority segments of the population, especially the Muslim community, did not find proportional representation in the country’s Parliament. It said that while the community made up around 14% of the population, it has merely 5% representation in the national Parliament. Further, the report concluded that the political and electoral rights of the community were further threatened by the adoption of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which differentiated between Muslim and non-Muslim refugees and granted special access to India citizenship for the later.
India’s performance in the next category, which is titled “Functioning of Government”, was also reasonable. It performed well in elements such as the transparency of government policies and the role of the elected representatives in formulating policies in the country. However, it condemned the increasing incidents of corruption and other malfeasance, which continue to go largely unreported and unpunished.
Hence, India’s fall from the status of “free” to “partly free” can be attributed to its performance in the next four categories, which includes “Freedom of Expression and Belief”, “Associational and Organisational Rights”, “Rule of Law”, and “Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights.”
To reach this conclusion, it cited several developments in 2020. To begin with, the report raised concern about the communal riots in the country’s capital, New Delhi, during which 50 individuals, mostly Muslims, were killed. Furthermore, it spoke of the further stigmatisation of the Muslim community, citing the incidents of cow vigilantism and mob lynching.
Thereafter, it cited the criminal cases that were filed against journalists, students, and private citizens, who were critical of the government about its new citizenship law, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and its policies to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of this, the report highlighted several attacks on the freedom of the press being orchestrated by the government and the use of security, defamation, sedition, and hate-speech laws to achieve this. This, the report said, led to the deterioration in the Indian citizens’ right to express their personal views on political and other controversial topics. Moreover, it also condemned the use of bans on public gatherings, internet lockdowns, and violence by police forces to curb protests in the country.
Further, it highlighted the harsh lockdowns imposed by the country’s authorities, which led to widespread distress amongst the Indian migrant population. This not only forced the migrants to live in severe depravity but was also harshly implemented by the police and citizen vigilantes, who often used this as an excuse to further attack the Muslim minority community in the country. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Muslim community in the country was largely blamed for the spread of the COVID-19 virus. In fact, several ruling party leaders made statements to this effect too.
Lastly, it cited the acquittal of 32 of the country’s ruling party’s leaders, who had been accused of orchestrating the violent destruction of the Babri masjid in 1992, by a special court. Moreover, the report expressed concern about the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s participation in the inauguration of the Hindu temple that was being constructed on the site of the destroyed mosque.
The complete text of the report can be accessed here.
Freedom House Demotes India from “Free” to “Partly Free”
The Freedom House, a US government-funded independent democracy research institute, downgraded India's status from “free” to “partly free”.
March 5, 2021
SOURCE: INDIAN EXPRESS/ PREM NATH PANDEY