Baku Initiative Group launches first conference on minority rights abuses in India

An international conference examining the Indian government’s repressive policies toward national minorities has opened in Azerbaijan. The event, titled “Racism and Violence Against Sikhs and Other National Minorities in India: The Realities on the Ground,” is being held in Baku for the first time. It is organised by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), according to domestic media.

The conference has drawn participation from Ramesh Singh Arora, Minister for Human Rights and Minorities of Pakistan’s Punjab province; members of the Sikh diaspora from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States; as well as researchers, human rights experts, and specialists on ethnic minority issues from international academic institutions and think tanks. Individuals who have suffered directly from repressive actions by Indian authorities are also in attendance.

Discussions on the agenda centre on systemic racial discrimination, acts of violence, and broader repressive practices attributed to the Government of India against Sikhs and other ethnic minority groups. Participants are also reviewing India’s alleged violations of its commitments under several international legal instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and the Convention Against Torture.

The conference program further includes deliberations on how to keep these issues active within the agendas of international organisations and how to prompt relevant decision-making. Particular attention is being paid to potential investigations by the UN Human Rights Committee into abuses targeting ethnic minorities in India, reports of extrajudicial killings, and the documentation of such cases by UN special rapporteurs with the aim of bringing them under international monitoring.

Another key topic is the role of international and domestic NGOs, as well as academic institutions, in shaping awareness and influencing outcomes. Participants are evaluating how their reports, legal assessments, and recommendations might affect international mechanisms and processes related to human rights oversight and policy responses.