Title: Human rights of the Muslim Gujjars in India: a case study of the Punjab state

Authors: Satnam Singh Deol

Addresses: Department of Political Science, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Abstract: The present study has been conducted through empirical-observational approach while applying the methods of scheduled and unscheduled interviews through the accidental sampling and snow-ball sampling techniques. The study reveals that the rights of Muslim Gujjars are always under the risk of multiple vulnerabilities. Firstly, being a socially nomadic and economically marginalised community, they are deprived of the basic necessities. Secondly, being an ethnic minority migrated from other regions to Punjab; they experience hazards to their social, cultural and religious rights as well. Further, conditions of children and women have been found miserable in the study. Unfortunately, the state in actual, has not yet recognised them as socially and economically vulnerable community and hence there is dearth of state initiative to improve their social and economic conditions. Worryingly, due to extreme ignorance regarding human rights, the community does not depict any notions to initiate any movement for the availability of their basic rights.

Keywords: semi-nomadic; illiteracy; essential needs; political identity; exclusion.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHRCS.2018.093981

International Journal of Human Rights and Constitutional Studies, 2018 Vol.6 No.2, pp.95 - 107

Received: 08 Feb 2018
Accepted: 12 Feb 2018
Published online: 10 Aug 2018 *

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