India urged at UN to crack down on sexual violence

INDIA was urged to take a tougher stand on sexual violence and religious discrimination and ratify the torture convention, as countries raked over its human rights record at the UN Thursday (10).

New Delhi insisted it appreciated the role played by human rights defenders and said it would only impose the death penalty in the ‘the rarest of rare cases’, as it heard other nations’ critiques at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

‘India condemns any form of torture and maintains an inviolable stand against arbitrary detention, torture, rape or sexual violence by anyone,’ India’s Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the council.

New Delhi has signed the UN Convention Against Torture but has not ratified it.

India was facing its Universal Periodic Review, which all 193 UN countries must undergo every four years.

The US envoy to the council asked India to ‘reduce the broad application’ of anti-terror laws.