India has been ranked a “high-risk” country for torture and ill-treatment in the World Organization Against Torture’s first Global Torture Index 2025 that was released on Wednesday.
OMCT is a coalition of NGOs working on issues linked to arbitrary detention, torture, extrajudicial executions, forced disappearances and other forms of violence. In association with People’s Watch, the OMCT assessed 26 countries in this index through data collected between 2023 and 2024.
The index noted that “incidents involving severe beatings, forced confessions and custodial deaths frequently occur [in India], particularly targeting marginalised communities such as Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, LGBTQIA+ individuals and migrant labourers”.
It had seven thematic pillars, including six in which India ranked as high risk.
It claimed there was a lack of political will to reform in the country, including no specific national legislation criminalising torture, an unratified UN Convention Against Torture (UNCAT) and its Optional Protocol, and suppression of dissent through the UAPA Act. It also termed the complaints mechanisms ineffective which often lead to reprisals against complainants.
Moreover, in its transparency and access to information metric, which measures the availability of information and the obstacles faced by civil society organisations in collecting data and ability to access it, the OMCT scored India as “concealed”.
It listed the common violent practices in the country, which include unlawful detention in unofficial locations and extrajudicial killings, often rewarded with promotions for police personnel. “Human rights defenders are routinely subject to arbitrary arrest, preventive detention and torture and ill-treatment, underscoring a culture of institutional violence and impunity,” it stated.
Citing 2024 numbers from the National Human Rights Commission, the report stated that India witnessed 2,739 custodial deaths, more than 2,400 the previous year. In 2022, 1,995 deaths happened in judicial custody. It further pointed at the cases of activist GN Saibaba and journalist Siddique Kappan, who “were held in prolonged detention under stringent anti-terror laws, often in degrading conditions”.
It noted that legal impunity granted to BSF “severely hinders accountability and justice for victims”. It cites the example of West Bengal, where residents, especially near the Indo-Bangladesh border, face routine violence, torture, and extrajudicial killings by state forces.
India has not ratified the UN Convention Against Torture or its Optional Protocol, despite repeated recommendations, the report said. There is no standalone law criminalising torture. Instead, existing provisions under the Indian Penal Code are insufficient and rarely enforced. The recent legal overhaul through laws like the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita failed to fill these gaps, according to the report.
While a new provision assumes consent to prosecute public officials in custodial violence cases if no response is given within 120 days, critics argue this measure is symbolic unless accompanied by systemic reform.
The Index flags a broader crackdown on civil society. More than 30,000 NGOs have lost their registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) continues to be used to stifle dissent. At least 61 human rights defenders have been jailed under national security laws since 2018.
Prominent cases include the Bhima Koregaon trial and the continued incarceration of Kashmiri activist Khurram Parvez. The report also raises concern over reprisals against activists monitoring public protests, from anti-Sterlite demonstrators to farmers’ agitations.
India’s prisons are overcrowded (with 131.4 percent occupancy) and unsafe, especially for marginalised communities, the report reveals. Conditions are described as “inhumane”, with poor access to food, medical care, and sanitation. Saibaba, who spent over a decade in prison, died shortly after his release, highlighting what the report calls “institutional cruelty”.
The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions – one of the largest human rights networks worldwide – has recommended downgrading India’s NHRC from ‘A’ to ‘B’ status due to lack of independence and police interference in investigations. The index notes that the NHRC has failed to adequately respond to victims or push for accountability, especially when armed forces are involved.
The Global Torture Index 2025 has issued five key recommendations for India, urging it to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture, train security forces in ethical policing, end the misuse of anti-terror laws against activists, ensure judicial probes into custodial deaths, and strengthen the independence of the NHRC. These steps will serve as benchmarks in future assessments of India’s progress on preventing torture, the report added.
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