Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged people not to be “selective” while raising issues of human rights, as he delivered his speech at the 28th anniversary function of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Addressing the ceremony virtually, he said that though “some people” see human rights violation in a particular incident, they ignore violation of such rights in other, similar cases.
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“There is an aspect of human rights that I want to discuss today. These days, we see that people have started interpreting human rights in a way that benefits them. However, these rights are grossly violated when these are looked at from a political lens. This selective behaviour is harmful for our democracy,” PM Modi warned.
Such a mentality harms the very concept of human rights as well, he further said.
Prime Minister Modi also drew an analogy between human rights and India's independence movement, saying that the respect for human rights in the country is largely due to the long freedom struggle that the nation went through. “We fought for our rights across centuries and, as a country and society, always protested against injustice and tyranny,” PM Modi remarked.
India, he said, has always been “committed and sensitive” towards issues concerning human rights.
{{/usCountry}}India, he said, has always been “committed and sensitive” towards issues concerning human rights.
{{/usCountry}}About NHRC
The National Human Rights Commission was established on October 12, 1993, for the promotion and protection of human rights. The body, which is currently headed by retired judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Arun Mishra, takes cognisnance of any form of human rights violation, conducts enquiries and, if the violation is established, recommends various remedial and legal measures.