No greater enemy of human rights than terrorism and Naxalism: Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the Narendra Modi-led NDA government is committed to protecting every individual's human rights and has a policy of zero-tolerance towards custodial deaths, extra-judicial deaths and police atrocities.

Shah, who is also the BJP chief, made these remarks while addressing the 26th foundation day celebrations of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in New Delhi.

During his speech, the Home Minister lauded the efforts taken by the Modi government in ensuring that there is no violation of an individual's human rights. 

He also asserted that the Modi government is working extensively to protect the human rights and said that it was probably the first time that a government, from 2014 onwards, has done so much on the human rights issues.

The Home Minister said that the Modi government has fought for human rights in a different way and achieved success. He added that the government is moving forward with the spirit of 'Sabka Saath and Sabka Vikas.'

Appreciating the welfare works being done by the government, he said, "The Narendra Modi dispensation is ensuring electricity to households, providing free medical services, gas connections.''

He added that providing toilets is also the human rights of people and the Modi government has worked extensively in this direction.

While maintaining that the Constitution is supreme, Shah said that the government will protect the rights of the people granted by the Constitution of the country.

Shifting his focus to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the Home Minister said, ''Forty thousand civilians have been killed since Independence in Kashmir by terrorists. Is that not an attack against human rights? I would like to ask, do the families of people, who died due to terrorism in Kashmir have no human rights?"

"I believe that people being affected by terrorism and Naxal attacks is a human rights issue and should be looked at. We have zero-tolerance against extra-judicial deaths, police atrocities but we should also concentrate equally on terrorism because that's the biggest attack against the human rights," he said.

There is no greater enemy of human rights than terrorism and Naxalism, Shah added.

Giving a piece of advice to the national human rights watchdog, Shah said, "The NHRC should give a platform to the people working for human rights, they need to innovate. The biggest challenge is poverty and violence. Our social structure has an inbuilt system for protecting the human rights of poor, weaker sections, the women and the children."

On human rights norms made by the UNHRC, Shah said that the norms made by the UN body are different from India's and are not applicable here.

"I believe human rights norms made by the UNHRC are not applicable in India. Their definition of human rights is different from ours. We should make our own definition of human rights," Amit Shah said.