Latest US 8216;red8217; rag: Nandigram violence human rights violation

The US State Department8217;s latest annual report on human rights lists the violence in Nandigram among...

The US State Department8217;s latest annual report on human rights lists the violence in Nandigram among rights violations in India last year. The report has been slammed by critics as little more than a 8220;political tool.8221;

Ironically, Communist China is no longer in the list of top human-rights violators although it comes for criticism for its 8220;overall poor record,8221; especially its harsh controls on freedom of expression, including arrest and censorship.

8220;In West Bengal, violence in Nandigram district led to accusations of state government failure to control ruling Communist party cadres, which were accused by human rights groups of killing more than 30 rural villagers and intimidating them through violence and rape,8221; says the US report.

It cites the police firing on March 14, 2007: 8220;Thousands of local villagers8230;attacked police and CPM supporters who tried to enter an agricultural area earmarked for conversion to an industrial zone. Acting on orders from the CPM-led state government, police fired on the crowd, killing 14 individuals and injuring 45. 8220;

The Report states that 8220;from November 6 to 11, CPM members, whom human rights groups claim had state government support and direction, conducted a violent campaign of intimidation to regain control over the Nandigram area.8221;

The Modi Government in Gujarat also comes under the scanner: 8220;There was continued concern about the failure of the Gujarat government to arrest and convict those responsible for the 2002 violence following the train burning in Godhra8230;8221; the report says. 8220;Convictions of Hindu perpetrators of the violence were minimal, while acquittals were common,8221; it adds along with mentioning the Bilkis Bano gang rape case kerala, the other red bastion also gets blacklisted with its high number of custodial deaths. According to the Report, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission KSHRC registered 25 cases of custodial deaths from January to June compared with 39 cases in 2005. 8220;According to KSHRC, 46 persons died in state custody throughout the year,8221; the report says. The government of Kerala announced a judicial inquiry into the deaths following media outcry, the report says.

On Iraq, The Silence

In introduction, report blames all except US forces. Excerpts:

8226;Constitution and law provide framework for free exercise of human rights

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