Amnesty International, which is under investigation in India for violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) laws, has floated a petition against the measures taken by the government and law enforcement agencies across the country to curb the mob violence that ensued in the name of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The dubious NGO claims that there was “excessive use of force towards protesters” and claims there was a “crackdown on peaceful protesters”.
The ‘peaceful protests’ that Amnesty International is referring to here have caused immense damage to public property, private property has been set on fire and vandalized, scores of policemen have been wounded by gunshots, Hindu Temples have been attacked, slogans such as ‘Jinnah Wali Azadi‘ and ‘Hinduon se Azadi‘ were raised, instances of stone-pelting have been far too numerous to count, and yet, the protests have been deemed ‘peaceful’ by Amnesty International. The selective amnesia of Amnesty is perhaps due to the fact that the Indian government under Narendra Modi has cracked down on the NGO for the violation of Indian laws.
Amnesty said, “People protesting peacefully against India’s new citizenship law are facing a brutal crackdown by the Indian Government. More than 1000 people have been arrested and over 5000 detained. Internet services have been shut down in many parts of the country, and at least 30 people have been killed.” It also claimed, “Excessive force, including police firing and lathi (baton) charge, is further used to deter largely peaceful protests.” The petition claimed that Indians are facing grave threats to their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and association. It also claimed that India stands in violation of international laws and conventions.
For all its huff and puff against the Modi Government, Amnesty International has maintained a stoic silence over the Radical Islamic motivations of the protests. It has also maintained a studied silence over the fact that the Supreme Court of India itself has dismissed petitions against the Police for its crackdown on the Jamia rioters and CJI Bobde himself said that students cannot take law into their own hands and destroy property.
The Chief Justice had said as far back as in December, “We know how the rioting takes place. We are aware of the rights and we will decide on the rights but not amidst all this rioting. The court cannot be forced to decide anything only because some people decide to throw stones outside, this court cannot be bullied, aw cannot be taken into their hands just because they are students…we will hear and see what can be done only when things cool down, with a calm frame of mind…”
The conduct of Amnesty International has also made it painfully clear that imperialism and colonialism in the 21st Century manifest itself under the garb of human rights. Through the use of such unhealthy rhetoric and selective amnesia, Amnesty International wants to prevent the Indian government from taking adequate measures to establish the rule of law across the country. It seeks to keep India embroiled in anarchy and chaos so that its western masters can benefit from it.
The petition floated by Amnesty demands that the Prime Minister “Unequivocally condemn the excessive police and vigilante violence used on peaceful protestors and drop the charges against the peaceful protestors, Ensure peaceful protestors detained and arrested are treated with dignity and respect in line with international human rights standards,” and “Take necessary measures to establish a fully independent investigation into reports of excessive use of force towards protestors and vigilante violence and ensure those guilty of perpetrating violence are prosecuted.” Amnesty International also says in the petition that the Citizenship Amendment Act discriminates against Islam.
Amnesty International, as expected, does not say a word about the fact that Islamist organizations have been fomenting violence across the country in the name of CAA. Scores of PFI members have been arrested for their role in the violence that ensued. Property, buses, vehicles, even trains and stations have been torched in West Bengal, Delhi and UP in the name of ‘protests’. Even in the age of the internet, where there is so much information available on social media, Amnesty wants everyone to pretend that the violence never occurred and Police action was one-sided.
The NGO’s activism against the Indian government is not surprising given the fact that the government has cracked down on its dubious activities. Last year in November, a day after the Central Bureau of Investigation raided the New Delhi and Bengaluru offices of Amnesty India, CBI sources said that the books of accounts of Amnesty India revealed that they indulged in activities which were in violation of the FCRA.
The Enforcement Directorate had also issued a show-cause notice to Amnesty International in November 2019 for violation of the foreign exchange law (FEMA) to the tune of over Rs 51 crore. During the run-up to the General Elections in 2019, the NGO had also roped in actor Naseeruddin Shah to peddle its propaganda against the ruling dispensation. It also has links to Radical Islam and the British Government.
