India

Detains migrants or asylum seekers?

Yes

Has laws regulating migration-related detention?

Yes

Apprehensions of Non-Citizens

5,565

2021

Detained Accompanied Children

31

2021

Refugees

247,822

2023

Asylum Applications

12,233

2023

Overview

India has been an important host for asylum seekers and refugees from neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, as well as from Afghanistan, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and other countries. However, contrary to India’s traditional humanitarian approach towards forcibly displaced populations, the Bharatiya Janata Party led Indian government has responded to recent crises by implementing strict border control policies, introducing a comprehensive detention regime, cracking down on the widely persecuted Rohingya Muslim population who are deemed to be a threat to national security, shirking from its commitments under the customary international law principle of non-refoulement, amending the citizenship legislation to render minority populations stateless, and undertaking public information campaigns which negatively impact the public perception of refugee populations. There has been a sharp increase in the detention of refugees, in particular of Rohingyas, recognised under the UNHCR’s mandate. This ill treatment of asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants is abetted by the Foreigners Act 1946, part of a set of archaic laws that regulates immigration in India.

Types of facilities used for migration-related detention
Administrative Ad Hoc Criminal Unknown

The Threat of Detention for Myanmar Refugees in India 

Authorities in Uttar Pradesh have launched a crackdown on Rohingya refugees, leading to the arrest and detention of dozens of people apprehended during raids at camps. The arrests are part of a wider, nationwide policy targeting refugees from Myanmar. With no legal limits on detention, refugees can be held indefinitely. Recently, when a group who […]

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As a second wave of COVID-19 has swept across India, infection and death rates have skyrocketed across the country. On 1 May, some 392,488 new cases were reported–the largest one-day increase on record for any country–as well as 3,689 deaths, although observers suggest that real figures may be significantly higher. Despite COVID rates surging since […]

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Rohingya Refugees Along with their Luggage outside a Mosque in Jammu, Kashmir (J. Singh, EPA,

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In mid-April, India’s Supreme Court directed the government to release “illegal foreigners” detained in Assam for more than two years in order to avoid overcrowding. Assam has become a hotspot for immigration detention in India, as scholar Sujata Ramachandran reported in a 2019 Working Paper for the Global Detention Project: “The country’s detention and deportation […]

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In mid-April, India’s Supreme Court directed the government to release “illegal foreigners” detained in Assam for more than two years in order to avoid overcrowding (India Today, https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/coronavirus-sc-orders-release-of-illegal-foreigners-in-assam-detained-for-2-years-to-avoid-overcrowding-1666633-2020-04-13)

India: Covid-19 and Detention

In the Indian state of Assam, more than 800 persons are being held indefinitely in six detention centers within prisons. Defined by Indian authorities as “foreigners,” these detainees – many of whom are Indian citizens who have been declared “illegal immigrants” by the Foreigners Tribunal on account of poor documentation or poor legal assistance and […]

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Goalpara Detention Centre is one of Assam's six detention centres, and currently confines nearly 370 people declared as
Last updated: March 2022

INDIA: Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review

31 March 2022

41st Session of the UPR Working Group, 7-18 November 2022

Issues Related to Immigration-Related Detention and Asylum 

INTRODUCTION (read full submission here)

This submission for the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of India has been prepared by the Global Detention Project (GDP), a non-profit organisation based in Geneva that promotes the human rights of people who have been detained for reasons related to their non-citizen status; the World Organisation against Torture (OMCT), a network of more than 200 member organisations that works to end torture and ill-treatment, assist victims, and protect human rights defenders at risk wherever they are; and the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), a network consisting of more than 450 civil society organisations and individuals from 38 countries committed to advancing the rights of refugees in the Asia Pacific region.

This submission focuses on human rights concerns with respect to migration-related detention in India and the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers. 

CONTEXT

India has been an important host for asylum seekers and refugees from neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, as well as from Afghanistan, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, et. al.

The asylum system in India operates on a dual recognition model whereby refugees from neighbouring countries, except Myanmar, fall under the Government’s mandate while those from Myanmar and non-neighbouring countries fall under the UNHCR’s mandate. 

According to UNHCR India hosts over 215,000 refugees. Successive humanitarian crises, including the expulsion of Rohingyas from Myanmar and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, have led to a steady rise in numbers of asylum seekers. The suspension of international flights between Afghanistan and India as well as the ad-hoc nature of influx of refugees from Myanmar across India’s porous eastern borders, combined with the impact of COVID-19, have helped slow the numbers of new arrivals. 

India’s refusal to ratify the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Optional Protocol has led to a regime of ad-hoc policies operating as stop gap measures to govern the rights of asylum seekers and refugees instead of securing the welfare of the population through the implementation of a national asylum law. Despite the introduction of Asylum Bills in the Parliament, most notably by Member of Parliament, Dr. Shashi Tharoor in 2015, and most recently in 2022, there is no indication that the legislative body will follow through on this and enact a law.

Contrary to India’s traditional humanitarian approach towards forcibly displaced populations as evidenced by its approach towards Tibetan refugees, the Bharatiya Janata Party led Indian government has responded to recent crises by implementing strict border control policies, introducing a comprehensive detention regime, cracking down on the widely persecuted Rohingya Muslim population who are deemed to be a threat to national security, shirking from its commitments under the customary international law principle of non-refoulement, amending the citizenship legislation to render minority populations stateless, and undertaking public information campaigns which negatively impact the public perception of refugee populations. 

There has been a sharp increase in the detention of refugees, in particular of Rohingyas, recognised under the UNHCR’s mandate. This ill treatment of asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants is abetted by the Foreigners Act 1946, part of a set of archaic laws that regulates immigration in India. The Act, a colonial era law, was enacted to address war-time exigencies and therefore, provides for nearly unchecked executive powers against foreigners and no special provisions or statutory exceptions for vulnerable populations like asylum seekers and refugees. 

This has resulted in a situation where despite UNHCR recognition and the temporary protection they offer, recognized refugees are still at risk of administrative detention (Section 3(2)(e)), criminal imprisonment (Section 14, 14ABC), and deportation (Section 3(2)(c)).

The lack of judicial intervention, and the extent of judicial deference to government powers to order the detention and deportation of certain sections of the refugee population, has further contributed to a weakening refugee protection regime in India. 

(read full submission here)

DETENTION STATISTICS

Migration Detainee Entries
Not Available
Not Available
Alternative Total Migration Detainee Entries
Not Available
Not Available
Total Migration Detainees (Entries + Remaining from previous year)
Not Available
2021
Not Available
2020
Not Available
2019
Alternative Total Migration Detainees
Not Available
2021
Not Available
2020
Reported Detainee Population (Day)
Not Available (29) December Not Available
2021
Not Available (13) July Not Available
2020
Average Daily Detainee Population (year)
Not Available
2021
Not Available
2020
Immigration Detainees as Percentage of Total Migrant population (Year)
Not Available
2021
Not Available
2020

DETAINEE DATA

Countries of Origin (Year)
Sri Lanka (China) Myanmar Afghanistan Ethiopia
2021
2020
Number of Asylum Seekers Placed in Immigration Detention (Year)
414
2021
259
2020
Number of Women Placed in Immigration Detention (year)
36
2021
0
2020
Total Number of Children Placed in Immigration Detention (Year)
0
2021
0
2020
0
2017
Number of Unaccompanied Children Placed in Immigration Detention (Year)
0
2021
0
2020
Number of Accompanied Children Placed in Immigration Detention (Year)
31
2021
0
2020
Number of Stateless Persons Placed in Immigration Detention (Year)
0
2021
0
2020
Number of Deaths in Immigration Custody (year)
0
2021
0
2020
Cases of Self-Harming and Suicide Attempts in Immigration Custody (Year)
0
2021
0
2020

DETENTION CAPACITY

Total Immigration Detention Capacity
0
2021
0
2020
Immigration Detention Capacity (Specialised Immigration Facilities Only)
0
2021
0
2020
Number of Dedicated Immigration Detention Centres
0
2022
0
2021
0
2020

ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION

Number of Detainees Referred to ATDs (Year)
0
2021
0
2020
Official ATD Absconder Rate (Percentage)(Year)
0
2021
0
2020
Number of People in ATDs on Given Day
0
2021
0
2020

ADDITIONAL ENFORCEMENT DATA

Percentage of Detainees Released (year)
0
2021
0
2020
Percentage of Detainees Deported (year)
0
2021
0
2020
Number of Deportations/Forced Removals (Year)
0
2021
258
2020
1,233
2019
Number of Voluntary Returns & Deportations (Year)
0
2021
0
2019
Percentage of Removals v. Total Removal Orders (Year)
2021
2020
Number of People Refused Entry (Year)
0
2021
0
2020
Number of Apprehensions of Non-Citizens (Year)
5,565
2021
4,926
2020

PRISON DATA

Criminal Prison Population (Year)
554,034
2021
488,511
2020
481,387
2019
466,802
2018
419,623
2015
385,135
2012
372,296
2011
376,969
2009
376,396
2007
358,368
2005
326,519
2003
313,635
2001
281,380
1999
Percentage of Foreign Prisoners (Year)
1
2021
1
2020
1.1
2019
1.5
2015
1.7
2012
Prison Population Rate (per 100,000 of National Population)
0
2020
33
2015
30
2012
30
2011
31
2009
32
2007
31
2005
29
2003
29
2001
27
1999

POPULATION DATA

Population (Year)
1,426,800,000
2023
1,380,000,000
2020
1,311,051,000
2015
International Migrants (Year)
4,878,704
2020
5,154,737
2019
5,241,000
2015
International Migrants as Percentage of Population (Year)
0.35
2020
0.6
2015
Estimated Undocumented Population (Year)
Not Available (Not Available)
2019
Refugees (Year)
247,822
2023
242,835
2022
212,413
2021
195,373
2020
195,103
2019
195,891
2018
197,146
2017
197,823
2016
201,381
2015
199,937
2014
Ratio of Refugees Per 1000 Inhabitants (Year)
0.15
2014
Asylum Applications (Year)
12,233
2023
15,794
2022
7,593
2019
8,642
2016
7,426
2014
Number of People Granted Temporary Protection Status (Year)
Not Available
2021
Refugee Recognition Rate (Year)
15.5
2014
Stateless Persons (Year)
21,591
2022
0
2016
22,110
2016

SOCIO-ECONOMIC DATA & POLLS

Gross Domestic Product per Capita (in USD)
2,277.4
2021
1,933.1
2020
1,581
2014
Remittances to the Country (in USD)
70,389,000
2015
Remittances From the Country (in USD)
5,710,000,000
2017
Unemployment Rate
7
2022
6
2021
Unemployment Rate Amongst Migrants
2021
Net Official Development Assistance (ODA) (in Millions USD)
2,983.6
2014
Human Development Index Ranking (UNDP)
132 (Medium)
2022
130 (Medium)
2015
Integration Index Score
2020
24
2019
World Bank Rule of Law Index
67 (0.39)
2020
Domestic Opinion Polls on Immigration
2021
Pew Global Attitudes Poll on Immigration
84
2007

LEGAL & REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

Does the Country Detain People for Migration, Asylum, or Citizenship Reasons?
Yes
2024
Yes
2019
Does the Country Have Specific Laws that Provide for Migration-Related Detention?
Yes
2024
Yes
1946
Detention-Related Legislation
The Foreigners Act (1946) 2004
1946
The Registration of Foreigners Act (1939) 1986
1939
The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 (1920) 1986
1920
The Citizenship Act, 1955 (1955) 2019
1955
The National Security Act (1980) 1988
1980
The Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978 (1978)
1978
Do Migration Detainees Have Constitutional Guarantees?
Yes (The Constitution of India, Article 14, 20, 21, 22 and 23) 1949 2020
1949
Additional Legislation
The Repatriation of Prisoners Act (2003) 2011
2003
Regulations, Standards, Guidelines
The Foreigners (Tribunal) Order (1964)
1964
The Foreigners (Tribunal) Amendment Order (2019)
2019
The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules (2003)
2003
The Foreigners Order (1948)
1948
The Passport (Entry into India) Rules (1950)
1950
The Registration of Foreigners Rules (1992)
1992
Guidelines for the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Under the Repatriation of Prisoners Act, 2003 (2015)
2015
Model Detention Centre/Holding Centre/Camp Manual (2019)
2019
Bilateral/Multilateral Readmission Agreements
United Kingdom (2021)
2021
Switzerland (2016)
2016
Expedited/Fast Track Removal
No
2022
Summary Removal/Pushbacks
In Law: No
In Practice: No
2022
Re-Entry Ban
No
2022
Legal Tradition(s)
Common law
Muslim law
Customary law
Federal or Centralised Governing System
Federal system
2022

GROUNDS FOR DETENTION

Immigration-Status-Related Grounds
Detention to prevent absconding
1998
Detention to establish/verify identity and nationality
1992
Detention to prevent unauthorised entry at the border
1948
Detention for unauthorised exit
1948
Detention for failing to respect non-custodial measures
1946
Detention to effect removal
1946
Detention for unauthorized stay resulting from criminal conviction
1946
Detention for unauthorised entry or stay
1946
Detention during the asylum process
1946
Detention of unauthorised persons by executive discretion
1946
Non-Immigration-Status-Related Grounds in Immigration Legislation
Detention on public order, threats or security grounds
1980
Detention for suspicion of terrorist-related activities
1967
Detention on health-related grounds
1948
Criminal Penalties for Immigration-Related Violations
Yes (Yes)
1946
Yes (Yes)
1920
Grounds for Criminal Immigration-Related Incarceration / Maximum Length of Incarceration
Unauthorized entry (2920)
2004
Unauthorised stay (2920)
2004
Unauthorized entry (1825)
2000
Unauthorized exit (1825)
1948
Has the Country Decriminalised Immigration-Related Violations?
No
1946
Children & Other Vulnerable Groups
Elderly (Not mentioned) Yes
2024
Victims of trafficking (Not mentioned) Yes
2023
Women (Provided) Yes
2023
Refugees (Not mentioned) Yes
2023
Asylum seekers (Not mentioned) Yes
2022
Stateless persons (Not mentioned) Yes
2021
Unaccompanied minors (Not mentioned) Yes
2018
Accompanied minors (Not mentioned) Yes
2017
Mandatory Detention
Yes (All apprehended non-citizens who do not have proper documentation)
2022
Yes (Executive discretion)
2022

LENGTH OF DETENTION

Maximum Length of Administrative Immigration Detention
Number of Days: 1095
2019
Maximum Length of Detention of Asylum-Seekers
Number of Days: 1095
2019
Recorded Length of Immigration Detention
Number of Days: 3285
2019
Maximum Length of Detention at Port of Entry
No Limit
1948
Maximum Length of Incarceration for Immigration-Related Criminal Conviction
Number of Days: 2920
2004

DETENTION INSTITUTIONS

Custodial Authorities
Foreigners Regional Registration Office (Ministry of Home Affairs) Interior or Home Affairs
2020
Child Welfare Committee, West Bengal (Department of Women & Child Development and Social Welfare & West Bengal) Regional Authority-Social Affairs
2017
(Foreigners Regional Registration Office)
2008
(Foreigners Regional Registration Office)
2006
(Foreigners Regional Registration Office)
2006
Apprehending Authorities
National Investigation Agency (Law enforcement, border control and national security) Interior or Home Affairs
2023
Foreigners Regional Registration Office (Immigration agency) Interior or Home Affairs
2023
Border Security Forces (Law enforcement, border control and national security)
2021
Police (Police)
2021
Government Railway Police (Police)
2021
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (Police) Interior or Home Affairs
2013
Detention Facility Management
Police (Governmental)
2009
Police (Governmental)
2008
Types of Detention Facilities Used in Practice
Immigration detention centre (Administrative)
Transit centre (Administrative)
Border guard (Administrative)
Police station (Criminal)
Local prison (Criminal)
Juvenile detention centre (Criminal)
Informal camp (Ad hoc)
2024

PROCEDURAL STANDARDS & SAFEGUARDS

Procedural Standards
Right to legal counsel (Yes) Yes
2021
Access to asylum procedures (Yes) Yes
2021
Are Non-Custodial Measures/Alternatives to Detention (ATDs) Provided in Law?
Immigration Law: Yes
1946
Does the Law Stipulate Consideration of Non-Custodial Measures (ATDs) before Imposing Detention?
Immigration Law: No
Asylum/Refugee Law: No
2022
Types of Non-Custodial Measures (ATDs) Provided in Law
None (No) No
2022
Impact of Legal ATDs on Overall Detention Rates
Not applicable
2022
Access to Detainees
Lawyer: Yes
Family Members: Yes
NGOs: Limited or Some Detention Centres Only
International Monitors: Yes
Consular Representatives: Yes
2022
Recouping Detention or Removal Costs
Detainee Charged
1946

COSTS & OUTSOURCING

COVID-19 DATA

TRANSPARENCY

Publicly Accessible List of Detention Centres?
No
2022
No
2020
Detention Registry
No (Not Applicable)
2024
Publicly Accessible Statistics on Numbers of People Detained?
No
2020
Access to Information Legislation?
Yes
2005

MONITORING

Types of Authorised Detention Monitoring Institutions
National Human Rights Commission, India (National Human Rights Institution (or Ombudsperson) (NHRI))
2018
Insitutions that Can Make Unannounced Visits
1. National Human Rights Commission of India [National Human Rights Institution (or Ombudsperson) (NHRI)] 2. Human Rights Law Network (SLIC), Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Project 39A, NLU, Delhi [Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO)] 3. Police Accountability Commission [Internal Inspection Agency (IIA)] 4. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in India [International or Regional Bodies (IRBs)]

NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORING BODIES

National Human Rights Institution (NHRI)
Yes (National Human Rights Commission of India) Yes Yes Yes Yes
2022
NHRI Monitoring Reports
National Human Rights Commission of India, Annual Report 2021-2022 (2022)
National Human Rights Commission of India, Annual Report 2019-2020 (2020)
National Human Rights Commission of India, Annual Report 2018-2019 (2019)
National Human Rights Commission of India, India Comments on AINNI Report (2018)
Report on NHRC Mission to Assam’s Detention Centres from 22 to 24 January 2018 (2018)

NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISMS (OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO UN CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE)

National Preventive Mechanism (NPM-OPCAT)
No No No No
2022
NPM Monitoring Reports
NA

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS (NGOs)

Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that Carry Out Detention Monitoring Visits
Infrequently (1. Human Rights Law Network (SLIC), 2. Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, 3. Project 39A, NLU, Delhi)
2022
Do NGOs publish reports on immigration detention?
Yes
2024
Yes
2023
Yes
2017
Yes
2011
NGO Immigration Detention Monitoring Reports
Monitoring Prisons: A Visitor’s Guide, 2017 (2018)
Refugees and the Law (2011)

GOVERNMENTAL MONITORING BODIES

Parliamentary or congressional bodies that undertake detention monitoring
No
2022
Internal Inspection Agencies that Carry Out Detention Monitoring Visits
infrequently
2006
Internal inspection reports on migration-related detention
Annual Report - 2015 (2016)
2015
Annual Report - 2014 (2015)
2014
Do parliamentary organs have capacity to receive complaints?
No
2022

INTERNATIONAL DETENTION MONITORING

International Monitoring Bodies that Carry Out Detention Monitoring Visits
2022
International monitoring reports on migration-related detention
India Factsheet: August 2022 (2022)
2022
Supporting Refugees in India: What we achieved in 2021 (2022)
2021
UNHCR Global Appeal 2011 Update (2012)
2011

INTERNATIONAL TREATIES & TREATY BODIES

International Treaties Ratified
Ratification Year
Observation Date
CTOCTP, Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children
2011
2011
CTOCSP, Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
2011
2011
CRPD, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
2007
2007
CEDAW, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
1993
1993
CRC, Convention on the Rights of the Child
1992
1992
ICCPR, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
1979
1979
ICESCR, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
1979
1979
VCCR, Vienna Convention on Consular Relations
1977
1977
ICERD, International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
1968
1968
Ratio of relevant international treaties ratified
Ratio: 9/19
Treaty Reservations
Reservation Year
Observation Date
ICCPR Article 9 1979
1979
1979
Ratio of Complaints Procedures Accepted
Observation Date
0
2021
0
2017
Relevant Recommendations or Observations Issued by Treaty Bodies
Recommendation Year
Observation Date
Human Rights Committee Treatment of aliens, including refugees and asylum-seekers 41. The Committee is concerned about deportations to Myanmar, as well as the plans to deport more than 5,000 asylum-seekers from the Kuki and Chin communities (arts. 7, 9, 13 and 24). (c) Refrain from criminalizing the irregular entry or stay of migrants and persons in need of international protection and uphold the principle of non-refoulement; (d) Ensure that immigration detention is used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest possible period of time, increase the use of alternatives to detention that are respectful of human rights and ensure that those in detention have access to legal aid services and language interpretation and that their living conditions and treatment are in conformity with international standards; (e) Condemn and combat hate speech against migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees, including by public officials and politicians; 2024
2024
2024
Committee on the Right of Persons with Disabilities § 39 (b) Ensure respect for and the protection of all human rights of persons with disabilities rendered stateless, including those in detention camps, urgently adopting measures to allow the reacquisition of nationality, and ratify or accede to the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (1954) and the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (1961). 2019
2019
2019
Committee on the Rights of the Child §78 (c) Release asylum-seeking and refugee children held in detention and enable them to access the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); ensure that unaccompanied and separated children, refugee and asylum-seeking children are not detained because of illegal entry/stay in the State party; and grant them the right to seek asylum and to stay in the State party until the completion of asylum procedures; (d) Establish a proper referral system under the Ministry of Home Affairs to refer refugee and asylum-seeking children to UNHCR, and develop standard operating procedures to facilitate the prompt identification and referral of such children; (e) Consider acceding to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. 2014
2014
2014
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination §16-The Committee recommends that the State party consider acceding to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol and enact a comprehensive legal framework governing the treatment of refugees. 2007
2007
2007
Committee on the Rights of the Child §71- In light of article 22 of the Convention, the Committee recommends that the State party consider acceding to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and adopt comprehensive legislation to ensure adequate protection of refugee and asylum-seeking children, including in the fields of physical safety, health, education and social welfare, and to facilitate family reunification. 2004
2004
2004
Human Rights Committee §30- the Committee recommends that, in the process of repatriation of asylum seekers or refugees, due attention be paid to the provisions of the Covenant and other applicable international norms. 1997
1997
1997
Global Detention Project and Partner Submissions to Treaty Bodies
Date of Submission
Observation Date
2024 https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/urgent-appeal-for-action-on-deteriorating-human-rights-situation-in-india Global Detention Project and Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) Other Partially
2024
2024

> UN Special Procedures

Visits by Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council
Year of Visit
Observation Date
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance 2016
2016
2017
Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences 2013
2013
2013
Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions 2012
2012
2012
Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief 2008
2008
2008
Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences 2000
2000
2000
Relevant Recommendations or Observations by UN Special Procedures
Recommendation Year
Observation Date
Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences Para 78(o): "Take appropriate measures to address the situation of irregular and domestic migrant women, including women refugees and asylum seekers; strengthen temporary special measures, including by ensuring that they are included in governmental and National Commission for Women programmes and projects, to enable them to better access services and improve their participation and representation in public life; strengthen and expand the services of the women protection clinics across the country;" 2014
2014
2014
Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences Para 160. "In cases of trafficking victims who are foreign nationals, the Governments of the region must work towards facilitating their voluntary return, if that is appropriate, rather than detain them for long periods in government homes." 2001
2001
2001

> UN Universal Periodic Review

Relevant Recommendations or Observations from the UN Universal Periodic Review
Observation Date
No 2022 4th
2022
No 2008
No 2012
No 2017
Global Detention Project and Partner Submissions to Universal Periodic Review
Date of Submission
Observation Date
2022 https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/INDIA-Submission-to-the-Universal-Periodic-Review-41ST-session.pdf Global Detention Project (GDP); World Organisation against Torture (OMCT); Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) 3rd Partially The submission focuses on human rights concerns with respect to migration-related detention in India and the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.
2022
2022

> Global Compact for Migration (GCM)

GCM Resolution Endorsement
Observation Date
2018
2018

> Global Compact on Refugees (GCR)

GCR Resolution Endorsement
Observation Date
2018

REGIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS MECHANISMS

Regional Legal Instruments
Year of Ratification (Treaty) / Transposed (Directive) / Adoption (Regulation)
Observation Date
CPCTWCP, Convention on Prevention and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution
2019
CWC, Convention on Regional Arrangements for the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia
2011

HEALTH CARE PROVISION

Provision of Healthcare in Detention Centres
Limited or Some Detention Centres Only
2024
Limited or Some Detention Centres Only
2020
Medical Screening upon Arrival at Detention Centres (within 48 hours)
Some centres only
2020
Psychological Evaluation upon Arrival at Detention Centres
Some centres only
2020
Some centres only
2018
Doctor on Duty at Detention Centres
Daily
2020
Nurse on Duty at Detention Centres
Daily
2020
Psychologist Visits to Detention Centres
No regular visits
2020
Inadequate health provisions
Doctors
2024
Doctors
2024
Psychological care
2024
Specialist care
2024
Hospital access
2024
Nurses
2024
Barriers to care
Unsanitary/inadequate detention conditions
2024
Unsanitary/inadequate detention conditions
2024
Inadequate food or water provision
2024
Inadequate ventilation
2024

HEALTH IMPACTS

Health Impacts
Physical abuse
2024
Illness
2024
Post-traumatic stress disorder
2024
Anxiety/panic disorders
2024
Depression
2024
Deaths
2021

COVID-19

Country Updates
As a second wave of COVID-19 has swept across India, infection and death rates have skyrocketed across the country. On 1 May, some 392,488 new cases were reported--the largest one-day increase on record for any country--as well as 3,689 deaths, although observers suggest that real figures may be significantly higher. Despite COVID rates surging since March, authorities have continued to arrest and detain non-nationals. In early March, an estimated 170 Rohingya refugees were detained in the city of Jammu (Kashmir), after police conducted raids in camps and summoned others to a “verification” exercise. Placed in a “holding centre” in Hiranagar (the Hiranagar Jail, which was reportedly converted into an immigration detention facility that same month), the group were subsequently informed of plans to deport them to Myanmar. Despite several Rohingya refugees challenging the deportation order, on 8 April the Supreme Court rejected an application to stay the deportation of the group, even as violent unrest in Myanmar surged following the 1 February coup. During the hearing, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) commented, “Possibly that is the fear that if they go back to Myanmar, they will be slaughtered. But we cannot control all that. . . We are not called upon to condemn or condone genocide.” The court also accepted the government’s claim that Rohingya refugees constitute a threat to internal security, while also failing to consider the applicability of non-refoulement. Members of the Rohingya community have called the decision a “death warrant.” (To-date, the GDP has been unable to confirm whether the planned deportation has been conducted.) This case is part of a wider set of restrictions targeting Muslim communities in India since the Modi government came to power in 2014. In 2017, local BJP leaders in Jammu launched a campaign demanding the expulsion of all Rohingya from the region. In West Bengal, where elections are currently being held, the BJP has vowed to deport all Rohingya if the party wins. Elsewhere in Assam, authorities have been detaining purported “illegal foreigners” (largely Bengali-speaking Muslims) in six detention centres. As previously reported on this platform, in April 2020 the country’s supreme court called for the release of people who had been detained for more than two years--and if they were able to produce two sureties worth 5000 rupees (approximately 53.33 GBP). However, as one observer commented, the court’s decision was not influenced by the dangers posed by COVID to detained populations, “Instead the reasoning implicitly belies the punitive motivation behind detention, by basing release on the amount of time ‘served’.”
In mid-April, India’s Supreme Court directed the government to release “illegal foreigners” detained in Assam for more than two years in order to avoid overcrowding. Assam has become a hotspot for immigration detention in India, as scholar Sujata Ramachandran reported in a 2019 Working Paper for the Global Detention Project: “The country’s detention and deportation policies have begun to receive widespread international attention in the wake of a recent crackdown on purported “illegal” residents in the Indian state of Assam, which is located in the far northeastern corner of the country. Sharing borders with Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and a few other small Indian states, Assam is connected to the rest of the Indian mainland only by a narrow strip of land. Here, the process of identifying and removing ‘irregular Bangladeshis’ has gained considerable momentum as the state updates its ‘National Registry of Citizens,’ which threatens millions of Assam residents with imminent statelessness, in particular Bengali-speaking Muslims who have been targeted as part of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led campaign against Muslim-majority and Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis, including many who were born in India but lack documentation.” (For more on detention in Assam during the pandemic, see our 10 April update.) Indian law does not distinguish between refugees and illegal immigrants and the central government grants asylum and provides assistance only for certain refugee populations. India is nonetheless host to a large population of refugees and the Government allows UNHCR recognised refugees to apply for visas. The country has set up quarantine facilities for those returning from abroad. However, it has been reported that these facilities have poor hygiene levels and limited access to healthcare. People who arrived at New Delhi airport in March reported that after being screened at the airport, they were loaded into a bus packed with other passengers who had travelled from abroad and sent to an isolation facility in Dwarka. In that facility, more than 40 people were held with only three washrooms and three bedrooms. Similar reports arose from quarantine facilities in Kashmir where around 1,800 people were placed in similar facilities. One person who was quarantined in Kashmir stated that authorities had not provided them with liquid soaps and sanitisers and that they were forced to use a dirty washroom. People detained in prisons, correctional homes, or immigration detention centres are at high risk owing to the closed setting and proximity in common living space. In India, this risk was acknowledged by the Supreme Court on 16 March: “The bitter truth is that our prisons are overcrowded, making it difficult for prisoners to maintain social distancing. … like any other viral diseases susceptibility of Covid-19 is greater in over-crowded places, mass gatherings, etc. Studies indicate that contagious viruses like Covid-19 proliferate in closed spaces such as prisons. Studies also suggest that prison inmates are highly prone to contagious viruses. The rate of ingress and egress in prisons is very high, especially since persons (accused, convicts, detenues etc.) are brought to the prison on a daily basis. Apart from them, several correctional officers and other prison staff enter the prison regularly, and so do visitors (kith and kin of prisoners) and lawyers. Therefore there is a high risk of transmission of Covid-19 virus to the prison inmates… we are of the opinion that there is an imminent need to take steps on an urgent basis to prevent contagion of Covid-19 virus in our prisons.” On 11 May 2020, the National Commission for women announced that more than 1,700 women on remand had been released since 25 March. On the next day, the High Power Committee appointed for the emergency release on parole or bail of prison inmates, decided to release around 17,000 out of 35,239 prisoners from prisons in the state of Maharashtra. In the whole of India, 61,100 prisoners have been released. However, these releases have not necessarily included detained foreign nationals - rising numbers of whom are being held in Indian prisons. In the state of Odisha for example, where almost one thousand prison inmates have been released, the group of persons denied release include those convicted for rape and sexual offences, and foreign nationals. Similar guidelines are also in place in Jammu and Kashmir. As of 19 May 2020, 388 positive cases of Covid-19 have been identified among prisoners and three prisoners have died from the disease.
In the Indian state of Assam, more than 800 persons are being held indefinitely in six detention centres within prisons. Defined by Indian authorities as “foreigners,” these detainees - many of whom are Indian citizens who have been declared “illegal immigrants” by the Foreigners Tribunal on account of poor documentation or poor legal assistance and lack of resources - are forced to live in overcrowded facilities that lack appropriate medical and sanitary facilities. Since 2016, 29 detainees have died due to various ailments - ten of them between 1 March 2019 and 20 February 2020. On 23 March, India’s Supreme Court ordered all states to release “convicts and undertrials [remand prisoners] awaiting trial for offences entailing a maximum sentence of seven years.” While Assam state took steps to release over 700 prisoners, no such steps seem to have been taken to release or protect detained “declared foreigners”. Speaking to Al Jazeera, the deputy commissioner of Assam’s Sonitpur district stated, “We have stopped taking in new inmates. Everyone is being screened by the doctors on a regular basis and there does not seem to be any such possibility of a virus outbreak.” However, reports from detainees’ families suggest otherwise: according to the daughter of one detainee, at least 50 people are kept in one room. Some families have sought to secure bail for detainees, but with courts suspending operations in March, there is uncertainty regarding options. On 7 April, the country’s Supreme Court heard a petition filed by a detainee in Assam, which sought the release of people who have spent more than two years in detention. The court also heard pleas by the Justice and Liberty Initiative (JLI), which urged authorities to extend the prisoner release to declared foreigners. Further hearings are scheduled for 13 April. “As human beings, they also have at least basic human rights to live and not to die of COVID-19 in the precincts of a prison, which has despicable living conditions,” said a JLI advocate. Concerns have also been raised concerning persons confined in India’s network of prisons, where measures such as the cancellation of visits prompted some prisoners to riot. Although some have been released since the Supreme Court’s order on 23 March, others remain in facilities renowned for their poor living conditions. Foreigners are amongst those detained inside Indian prisons, however the GDP has not been able to determine whether they were amongst those released. Arundhati Roy, Professor Gilbert Achcar, and other leading intellectual figures signed an appeal urging for authorities to release political prisoners, who were not included in the 23 March order. They note that many persons who have been arbitrarily detained have been in prison for years awaiting trial and, as a result of prolonged confinement, suffer from a wide array of health conditions which leave them particularly vulnerable to the virus. Similar concerns could be expressed for immigration detainees, many of whom have been subjected to lengthy detention.
Did the country release immigration detainees as a result of the pandemic?
Yes
2020
Did the country use legal "alternatives to detention" as part of pandemic detention releases?
Yes
2020
Did the country Temporarily Cease or Restrict Issuing Detention Orders?
No
2020
Did the Country Adopt These Pandemic-Related Measures for People in Immigration Detention?
Yes (Unknown) Unknown Unknown Unknown
2021
Did the Country Lock-Down Previously "Open" Reception Facilities, Shelters, Refugee Camps, or Other Forms of Accommodation for Migrant Workers or Other Non-Citizens?
Yes
2020
Were cases of COVID-19 reported in immigration detention facilities or any other places used for immigration detention purposes?
Yes
2021
Did the Country Cease or Restrict Deportations/Removals During any Period After the Onset of the Pandemic?
No
2021
Did the Country Release People from Criminal Prisons During the Pandemic?
Yes
2021
Did Officials Blame Migrants, Asylum Seekers, or Refugees for the Spread of COVID-19?
Yes
2021
Did the Country Restrict Access to Asylum Procedures?
Yes
2021
Did the Country Commence a National Vaccination Campaign?
Yes
2021
Were Populations of Concern Included/Excluded From the National Vaccination Campaign?
Excluded (Excluded) Excluded Excluded Excluded
2021