Protesters accuse Amnesty International of promoting anti-India sentiments

Thousands of demonstrators are accusing Amnesty International of promoting anti-India sentiments following a seminar organized by the rights group on human rights abuses in Kashmir.

The rights group staged an event to drive home its displeasure on human rights abuses carried out by Indian security forces in Kashmir, which is one of the most sensitive national issues in India.

The reaction of the protesters has made the rights group to temporarily close its offices and postponed events aimed at raising awareness of rights abuses over safety concerns for its staff.

Police in the southern city of Bangalore, the city where the event was held, said they are investigating if “anti-India” slogans were raised at the event after receiving a complaint.

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Reacting to claims that the rights group incited calls for the independence of Kashmir, Amnesty International said none of its employees took part in such an act.

“The allegations mentioned in the complaint are without any basis. The event was an open-door event and people were coming and going. No staff members were involved,” said Himanshi Matta, Amnesty International India’s spokeswoman.

“They are preventing the families of victims of human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir from having their stories heard,” she said, adding that “preventing civil society organisations from enabling these families to exercise their constitutional right to justice”.

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