22.03.2006 - Source: BBC News

6-year old girl accused in a criminal case of attacking policemen ("India's six-year-old 'criminal' girl") [#47120],  [ID 7045]

Document(s): Open document

22.12.2004 - Source: Asian Centre for Human Rights

Report focused on police violence in Bihar ("Bihar: Protectors as Predators") [#27793],  [ID 7046]

Document(s): Open document
Open document

07.06.2004 - Source: BBC News

Bihar: 4 people arrested in connection with the murder of an engineer that exposed corruption in a road building project ("Four arrested over Bihar murder") [#23158],  [ID 7047]

Document(s): Open document

25.02.2004 - Source: US Department of State

USDOS: Indigenous & Tribal People ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003") [#19765],  [ID 7048]

"[...] The 1991 census indicated that 8 percent of citizens belonged to scheduled tribes. According to the Indian Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal People (ICITP), 80 percent of the tribal population live below the poverty level. According to the ICITP, more than 40,000 tribal women, mainly from Orissa and Bihar, were forced into situations of economic and sexual exploitation (see Sections 6.c. and 6.f.). The 1955 Protection of Civil Rights Act prescribes special courts to hear complaints of atrocities committed against tribal people. [...]

Numerous tribal movements demanded the protection of land and property rights. The Jharkhand Movement in Bihar and Orissa and the Bodo Movement in Assam reflected deep economic and social grievances among indigenous peoples. As a result of complaints, largely tribal-populated states were created in 2000 from the Jharkand area of Bihar and the Chhattisgrah region of Madhya Pradesh. There was also some local autonomy for tribal people in the northeast. [...]

Intercaste violence claimed hundreds of lives; it was especially pronounced in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. [...]"

Document(s): Open document

25.02.2004 - Source: US Department of State

USDOS: Prison Conditions in Bihar ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003") [#19765],  [ID 7049]

"[...]Prison conditions were harsh and life threatening. Prisons were severely overcrowded, and the provision of food and medical care frequently was inadequate. In July, hundreds of prisoners at the Gopalgary District Jail in Bihar went on hunger strike to protest the poor sanitation, meager food supply, and severe overcrowding.

Severe overcrowding in prisons was common. For example, the Divisional Jail in Bihar had a planned capacity of 55 prisoners but held 753 inmates. Prisons operated above capacity because more than 60 percent of the prison population were persons awaiting hearings (see Section 1.d.). [...]

[...]In Bihar, the NHRC recorded 144 custodial deaths in its 2001-2002 reporting period. According to the NHRC, the Bihar government had not adequately responded to NHRC directives and reports addressing police training and accountability. However, the Bihar Inspector General of Prisons reportedly stated that of the 144 cases, only 15 were "unnatural deaths." Human rights sources claimed that the number was higher. The NHRC Chairperson stated that Bihar had the second highest number of human rights violations in the country, but it had not yet formed a State Human Rights Commission. [...]"

Document(s): Open document

25.02.2004 - Source: US Department of State

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003 ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003") [#19765],  [ID 7050]

"[...]The Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of a person's race, sex, religion, place of birth, or social status and government authorities worked to enforce these provisions with varying degrees of success. Despite laws designed to prevent discrimination, social and cultural practices as well as other legislation had a profound discriminatory impact, and discrimination against women, persons with disabilities, indigenous people, and national, racial, and ethnic minorities was a problem. The traditional caste system, as well as differences of ethnicity, religion, and language, deeply divide society. According to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, caste clashes were frequent in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu. [...]"

Document(s): Open document

25.02.2004 - Source: US Department of State

USDOS: Bihar: Many indigenous women forced into sexual expolitation ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003") [#19765],  [ID 7051]

"[...]Many indigenous tribal women were forced into sexual exploitation. According to the Indian Center for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples (ICITP), more than 40,000 tribal women, mainly from Orissa and Bihar, were forced into economic and sexual exploitation; many came from tribes that were driven off their land by national park schemes. Press reports indicated children were routinely trafficked from Assam into Haryana and other North Indian states for sexual slavery under the pretext of entering into arranged marriages. [...]"

Document(s): Open document

02.02.2004 - Source: BBC News

Bihar: 2 men being questioned over the murder of an engineer, who complained of corruption in a major road-building project, have committed suicide ("Suicides in Indian murder case") [#19142],  [ID 7052]

Document(s): Open document

24.10.2003 - Source: BBC News

State of Bihar: 3 members of the same family, accused of being witches and continuously attacked, have committed suicide ("Three 'witches' kill themselves") [#17059],  [ID 7053]

Document(s): Open document